My Step 3 experience

[RadOncAnon]

Just finished off Step 3 today. I found this forum pretty useful in my prep so I thought I'd leave some (hopefully) helpful pointers for future test takers.

In the interests of full disclosure I took the exam during a Radiology rotation as a Prelim Medicine intern (Month 10 of 12).

Step 1 = 223
Step 2 CK = 233, CS = Pass
NBME taken prior to studying = 410 (~194)
NBME taken after studying = 520 (~222)

Total study time = 2 weeks
Sources:
1. USMLEWorld for questions
2. Crush Step 3
3. First Aid for Step 3

The actual exam:
* Man that thing was HARD. Not difficult in the sense that the questions were difficult but rather many questions had 2 or more answers that looked correct. I got many, MANY questions asking, "which is this patient's most important risk factor?"
* In my gut I'm fairly sure I passed (my Step 2 NBME scored correlated ~ 4 points of my actual exam), but damn I didn't feel good walking away from that exam.
* I enjoyed the CCS cases quite a lot -- it was a nice break after slogging through 11 MCQ blocks over 1.5 days.
* My personal recall of my Step 3 CCS

1) Young kid comes in after falling off fire escape and smacking his head (brief LOC)
* Child abuse

2) Old guy comes in with urinary retention with lower abdominal pain
* BPH

3) Old guy comes in with heartburn and chronic fatigue
* Anemia 2/2 duodenal ulcer

4) Young woman comes in with abdominal distension and urinary frequency
* PREGGERS!! + UTI (don't treat w/ teratogen)

5) Middle-age woman comes in with SOB, chest palpitations, usually triggered by emotional stress
* Panic attacks

6) Post-menopausal woman with vaginal bleeding
* Endometrial cancer

7) Old guy w/ pre-existing CHF comes in w/ worsening DOE
* CHF exacerbation

8) Young woman comes in s/p MVA
* Abdominal bleed 2/2 splenic lac --> surgery

9) Old guy comes in w/ pre-existing COPD change in sputum production
* Can't remember this one very well, may have been COPD exacerbation

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[ttumed]

Just finished off Step 3 today. I found this forum pretty useful in my prep so I thought I'd leave some (hopefully) helpful pointers for future test takers.

In the interests of full disclosure I took the exam during a Radiology rotation as a Prelim Medicine intern (Month 10 of 12).

Step 1 = 223
Step 2 CK = 233, CS = Pass
NBME taken prior to studying = 410 (~194)
NBME taken after studying = 520 (~222)

Total study time = 2 weeks
Sources:
1. USMLEWorld for questions
2. Crush Step 3
3. First Aid for Step 3

The actual exam:
* Man that thing was HARD. Not difficult in the sense that the questions were difficult but rather many questions had 2 or more answers that looked correct. I got many, MANY questions asking, "which is this patient's most important risk factor?"
* In my gut I'm fairly sure I passed (my Step 2 NBME scored correlated ~ 4 points of my actual exam), but damn I didn't feel good walking away from that exam.
* I enjoyed the CCS cases quite a lot -- it was a nice break after slogging through 11 MCQ blocks over 1.5 days.
* My personal recall of my Step 3 CCS

1) Young kid comes in after falling off fire escape and smacking his head (brief LOC)
* Child abuse

2) Old guy comes in with urinary retention with lower abdominal pain
* BPH

3) Old guy comes in with heartburn and chronic fatigue
* Anemia 2/2 duodenal ulcer

4) Young woman comes in with abdominal distension and urinary frequency
* PREGGERS!! + UTI (don't treat w/ teratogen)

5) Middle-age woman comes in with SOB, chest palpitations, usually triggered by emotional stress
* Panic attacks

6) Post-menopausal woman with vaginal bleeding
* Endometrial cancer

7) Old guy w/ pre-existing CHF comes in w/ worsening DOE
* CHF exacerbation

8) Young woman comes in s/p MVA
* Abdominal bleed 2/2 splenic lac --> surgery

9) Old guy comes in w/ pre-existing COPD change in sputum production
* Can't remember this one very well, may have been COPD exacerbation

Funny man, finished my exam yesterday, and my cases were the exact same as your's, all 9 of them. Any yes they were a very welcome break. It kinda freaked me out though because I was able to get through them pretty quick.

 

[RadOncAnon]

Exam Date: 4/19-4/20
Result Mailed: 3/16
I waited two days but the report still wasn't in my mailbox so I called my med school and got my score.

211

I'm so glad that this beast of an exam is over. For some reason, I was stressing out an incredible amount over the last few days.

Anyway, my only advice to future test takers is this . . . do NOT underestimate this exam. Good luck.

 

[Faebinder]

What was your USMLEWORLD average (did you repeat the questions and what was your repeat average or average after repeating?)

Also what was your NBME score before taking Step 3.

Thanks for the help and I appreciate the reply.

 

[RadOncAnon]

I think my initial avg was around 52% --> 60% after several question blocks.

My NBME scores are in my first post.

Good luck.

 

[rformd_student]

Thanks for the info RadOnc, it was helpful.....

Here're my experiences:
Used First Aid and Crush
Studied evenings and weekends for 5 wks

USMLE World
- all questions completed
- started at approx 50%
- ended in 60% range, best single block was 70%
- cumulative percentage 56%

USMLE Practice CD: 77%

NBME Self-Assessment (1 week prior to exam): 560

3 days before exam: lots of cramming. Flipped through Rapid Review sections in First Aid for Steps 1 and 2, scanned through completed exams in USMLEWorld and read Kaplan's explanations for USMLE Practice CD items.

Felt good coming out of exam. Though Day 2 was only going to be the CCS exam but found out as I sat down at the computer that there are 4 additional MCQ blocks of 36 questions each (oops!). Thought that Day 2 MCQ were much easier than Day 1, maybe because they were shorter blocks and less fatiguing?

CCS cases:
1. intussusception
2. diverticulitis
3. cirrhosis/ascites
4. pulmonary embolism
5. eclampsia
6. gonococcal cervicitis
7. DKA
8. panic attacks
9. aortic aneurysm

I'll post my results when they come.

EDIT:
Got my score: 218/90. I'm satisfied but my NBME self-assessment scores and USMLE CD scores have always over-estimated my actual performance (Step 1,2,3).