STEP 3 Score VS USMLE WORLD AVERAGE

[FirstMANdown]

There is a great thread for Step 2ck VS UW%. I though it might be helpful if anyone out there can give us there input with there Step 3 VS UW%...etc as well. Anyways Thanks for the contribution.

I'm do to take Step 3 in the next month. Will update this thread as well. For better or for worse.

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[drbluedevil401]

k, had my first day today.
Uworld, mixed, random, timed - 63%
UWSA - 229 (predicted)/ 550
practice materials - 78% right
the first 3 blocks were ok, had 10-15 questions per block that i felt had to guess on. out of these 5-6 were probably pure guessing
block 4,5,6 rocked me. first 10 questions were like wtf, and then it got better..
block 7 was ok till the end, ran outta time and left a question.
Seriously, with 258 on step 1 and 254 on step 2 a few months ago, i feel the step 3 is tougher beast. I am just hoping for a pass.
will update tomorrow.

alright, back from day 2,
the ccs things were a good relief from the questions. most of my cases ended early, i dont know if i won or the patient died . I had like an hour break time banked up from them at the end. It seems most of the cases were very straightforward, probably even less complicated than those from uworld.
the question blocks in the morning were brutal though, i ended up marking 10 out of 36 questions , yeah there were only 36 questions per block and they were harder. They seemed much more tricky or asking for something i didnt know..ah well, hope i passed this thing.

IMG , Canadian, will be an intern this upcoming June, ZERO residency experience.
Ooops, forgot to add my resources:
MTB Step 3, Kaplan Step 2ck IM, Surgery, OBGYN Notes, Peds. Uworld qbank +UWSA + UW CCS. (~2 Weeks Study Time)
Got my score back last night at 12 am EST. 227/85, mildly surprised that the Uworld Assessment was so close. CCS was above borderline to below Higher. I think Uworld is plenty for this exam since I really studies about 2 weeks for this exam. The Uworld CCS is good prep and made me feel confident about my actions on the simulation. Anyways, H1 here I come.

 

[kmp741]

congrats....I also got my score last night....226/84. Got 227 on UWSA....pretty close so very surprised by UW accuracy

 

[drbluedevil401]

congrats....I also got my score last night....226/84. Got 227 on UWSA....pretty close so very surprised by UW accuracy

thank you, congrats to you too. Its scary how predictive the UWSAs have been for me over the steps.

 

[kmp741]

thank you, congrats to you too. Its scary how predictive the UWSAs have been for me over the steps.

Lols....i took UWSA for Step 2 but that was not too predictive...it gave me like 260+ on UWSA but got 240 on the actual thing....nevertheless, it was still 99 so went crazy not knowing that 99 is not significant any more

 

[drbluedevil401]

Lols....i took UWSA for Step 2 but that was not too predictive...it gave me like 260+ on UWSA but got 240 on the actual thing....nevertheless, it was still 99 so went crazy not knowing that 99 is not significant any more

yeah for me UWSA for step 2 put me at 253, i got 254 on the real thing. so go figure , for step 1, UWSA was at 260 and I ended up with 258. I am curious how Uworld came up with their scoring system for the assessments now.

 

[chubbykid]

UW 100% complete, random timed 48qs each most of the time - 57%
UWSA 215 two weeks before
Actual 212, score report 3 weeks later
Used MTB, Uworld. Studied 1-2 hours after work intern year for 6-7 weeks.

 

[harmeetgill75]

Step 3-U world score was 50%
U world practice exam predicted 210
Kaplan q bank-55%
Scored 216/82
I am an IMG, yet to start residency

 

[Sparkymd]

So I am scheduled to take the exam thursday and friday of this week. I have barely done any studying. Maybe half the questions. Mostly in tutor mode. My %age is about 65, but I change answers for some silly reason in tutor every so often so I don't trust my percentage. I am sort of starting to panic. Thinking about rescheduling. As a prelim, this month has been busy between a vacation, and getting everything ready for me program in a different state next year. Plus as a fourth year, I didn't do any medicine rotations (just anesthesia, surgery, and research). I don't want to be one of the same %age that fails. Any thoughts, words of encouragement/caution?

 

[TexasPhysician]

I'd just get it over with 65% is pretty fair on UWorld.

 

[angleoflouise]

So I am scheduled to take the exam thursday and friday of this week. I have barely done any studying. Maybe half the questions. Mostly in tutor mode. My %age is about 65, but I change answers for some silly reason in tutor every so often so I don't trust my percentage. I am sort of starting to panic. Thinking about rescheduling. As a prelim, this month has been busy between a vacation, and getting everything ready for me program in a different state next year. Plus as a fourth year, I didn't do any medicine rotations (just anesthesia, surgery, and research). I don't want to be one of the same %age that fails. Any thoughts, words of encouragement/caution?

Why don't you go ahead and buy yourself a UWSA or NBME and see how you do on that. It might make you more confident on test day.

 

[kdburton]

Just finished the exam yesterday. I finished 93ish % of USMLE World with an overall score of 61% (50th %ile) all done unused in tutor mode. I felt the questions on the real deal were pretty similar to UWorld. The cases were also pretty similar I guess, but who knows how those are graded. All I know is that we gotta wait a looooong time for our scores to come back. Luckily I'm only shooting for a PASS, so as long as that happens I'll be happy

 

[Sparkymd]

A long wait is right. Couldn't believe some said they heard in 3 weeks when we were told with the recent changes that it would be 8.

I figured I knew what to expect from the questions. It is much more the Cases that I am sort of freaked out about. Guess we will see how it goes tomorrow.

 

[Punkn]

Step 3 is done!
I used UW, did 100% of the questions in tutor mode, and repeated several 48 question blocks of marked questions, overall percentage was 70s before the repeat. I also used USMLE Step 3 Triage book, which I didn't like too much...used Step Up to Medicine for Heme/Onc, MSK, Cards.
For CCS, I used UW.

Overall, the test was kind of all over the place...some easy questions, some out of left field that I don't think more studying would have helped for. I marked 10-15 questions per section. The cases were pretty straight forward, but being familiar with the format is a must. UW prepared me well, I think. All cases ended within 5-10 minutes.

Steps 1 and 2 were high 220s/low 230s. I'm a TY going into PM&R. I spent 3-4 weeks studying off and on, more intense closer to the exam date. June 6th can't come soon enough.

Step 3: 238!

 

[Tritleb]

Woah, that was interesting.

Very random. Marked 5-10 questions per block, those being questions where a little extra time would help. There would be 5 or so questions per block where I knew I had no idea, so I didn't bother marking them. I actually felt better taking this exam than Step 2, in which I felt like I was guessing most of the time. (Maybe because I didn't care as much). Here I would say I knew 30-40%, good guess on another 20-30%, totally guessing on 10-20% or so.

Lots of "what is the next best step in the management of this patient" some of which I believe were trying to be a little tricky. Make sure you read all the answers to gauge which is the best to do next. There was still a fair amount of diagnosis, and even some pathophysiology questions.

Mine felt very OB and Derm heavy. Only had 1 drug ad and 1 abstract, neither of which were very difficult. Overall I would say the UW questions were tougher than the actual USMLE questions.

As far as the cases are concerned - I felt the real deal Cases we much less straightforward than the UW cases were. Becoming familiar with the software with UW is a must, I don't see how you could navigate them without being familiar with the software. I had one that went down to the wire, still have no idea what the girl had.

I did almost all of UW on tutor, roughly 60% before review started. Used Step 3 Triage sparingly (would recommend against buying this book). Mainly reviewed Step 2 CK and supplemented with Step Up to Medicine.

Step 1: 258/99
Step 2: 260/99
Step 3: ???/??

 

[ifkt355]

I am a psych intern. Just did my USWorld Self-assessment, got 196. USMLE World Qbank overall now is 57% (24 percentile), untimed tutor mood done in the last 3 weeks or so whenever I have spare time, and did about 700Qs so far. I have full 3 days left (off-service, so I can study full force during these 3 days) before my scheduled exam (this coming Sunday and Monday).

Step 1: 196
Step 2: either 205 or 215, can't remember
Not the best test taker as you can see.

Please advise! Should I proceed to take it as scheduled or postpone it? I don't have any scheduled time off in the next 2 months (within my eligibility period). So I will have to apply for extension if want to postpone.

 

[ifkt355]

Anyone?

 

[RisingSun]

Finished step 3 a few days ago.

Much more difficult than I expected. I would say that on any given set, at least 10 Qs where I had no idea, guessed with pretty good confidence on about 40%, and the remaining 50% were slam dunks. With previous steps I always finished sections with 10+ minutes to go and used that time to go over flagged qs. This time, it came down to the wire on almost every block, I think because the question stems were so long.

Mine was extremely peds heavy, much to my dismay. Literally 20+ questions almost every block. I hate genetics!

Went for a break during lunch the first day, decided to drive to a starbucks a few blocks away for a coffee. Somehow my driver's license fell out of my pocket at the store and I didn't notice that I didn't have my ID until breaktime was up and I had returned to the testing center. Tore my car apart looking for it, called the store but nobody had seen it. I'm starting to panic, and I am out of break time so the test time is decreasing by the second. I was sure that it was at the SB so I drove back there and apparently someone had found it and placed it near a cash register. Rushed back to the testing center now already 30+ minutes into my testing start time, sweating, flustered, and my AM testing mojo totally gone. Somehow I managed to finish the remaining 4 blocks within the time I still had left.

Advice:
- recommend reading the question (what is the next best step, or most likely diagnosis, or whatever) before starting because it helps you frame how to look at the question while you are going through it.
- bring an extra piece of ID just in case.

USMLE average 69% (about 60% Qs done)
Slightly about average on steps 1 and 2, just hoping for a pass on this one.

Update: Step 3 229. Happy to have passed and be done with USMLE forever!

 

[flyingdutchman]

Took the test in February, currently doing intern year. Just did Uworld averaged about 68%, finished about 2/3 of qbank. Did self-assessment as well but can't remember what I got. Scores for the Steps as follows:

Step 1 255/99
Step 2 260/99
Step 3 238/99

 

[inspirationmd]

Anyone know if for the CCS cases you get penalized for making every order stat? Doing the World cases and I have been making most of my orders stat.

 

[arielred]

Just did my UWorld assessment and got 215. Qbank cumulative is 59%. I've finished UWorld once and done all the CCS Cases once. I start residency this July. I have the exam scheduled for next week...shall I take it or postpone until residency?

 

[LouisianaDoctor]

Just finished day 2. Wow, what a test.

Day 1: I kind of agree with some of the previous posters, about 20% I felt like I "knew", 20% I didn't have a *clue* on, and the other 60% it was usually down to two answers, where it seems like it could have gone either way (and for some that I looked up, there's evidence in both ways, but my lack of residency experience hurt me here!) Just absolutely brutal.

Day 2: 4 x 36 question blocks - these felt really good. Obviously many that I was was like "WTF!", but many I felt comfortable with. CSS, 12 cases, only 2 I think were 12 minute, the other 22 minutes.

Every one of my CCS cases ended early. Some were really weird early, like a DKA, after I ran all my initial tests and put him in the ward, soon after I started fluids it ended (no insulin, K, etc.) It seemed to always end almost immediately after you initiated the treatment that would really help the patient. A few times it went a few extra rounds so you could see the patient improve. I made a few major mistakes - I misunderstood one result and tried to do a procedure on the patient that didn't need it, they "refused." God I hope that doesn't kill me. I realized immediately my mistake, did the correct tx, and case ended.

I used the "last orders" screen to do my counseling. Felt weird doing it when patient was technically still in the ICU, etc. That's probably yet another screw up.

I dont feel "horrible" about this test. I feel ok about how it went today, despite my screwups on CCS. I just want the passing score, so I can say goodbye to USMLE forever.

I do truly believe that these are horrible designed tests. I could have studied for a year and never came across some of the weird crap they asked.

 

[The General]

Can anyone please list the recent average and standard deviation on their score report? I just took the nbme form 2 and would like to see where I stand.

 

[CH52584]

I scanned this board during my preparation, so here are my 2 cents...

I am a surgery intern who just finished taking Step 3 for the second time. I first took it in early February of 2012 about a week after the ABSITE, the surgery in-training exam. I reviewed Kaplan's review book the week prior and didn't work any questions. I had always heard "two months for step 1, two weeks for step 2, and a #2 pencil for step 3," and having done average on the first two, thought it wouldn't be a big deal for this one.

For that test, I finished most every MCQ block as time was expiring and marked every question I wasn't >95% sure of...and marked more than half the questions on the test (I didn't count exactly, but I know it was DEFINITELY more than half the questions). And since I was finishing with only moments to spare, I did not have time to review any questions. The second day was maybe a little better, but still was struggling to get through the MCQ blocks in time. The CSS was 9 cases and 8 ended early, so I felt pretty good about that, though I hadn't put in all the routine nursing orders, etc, so probably lost some points on that.

Anyway, got a 183/73 (passing is 190) with most of the XXXXX on the performance profile falling within the borderline area, but several falling below (nervous system, renal/urinary/male reproductive, and history/physical/diagnostic studies.

Well for the last 3 months I have been preparing more than previously. I re-read Kaplan's review book, made a large stack of flash cards (yes, made them myself), and quizzed myself repeatedly to where I'm pretty sure I had more than 70% of that book memorized. I also worked the Kaplan qbook (average of 59.6%) and approximately 1,100 of the UWorld questions (average 58%)

I retook the test yesterday and today. For each MCQ section, I finished all but one with at least 11-12 minutes to spare. I again marked all the ones I was unsure of, which were almost exactly half the questions, plus or minus a few. Those I didn't mark I was >95% sure on, and of those I did mark, 1/3 I was ~75% sure, 1/3 I had down to two possibilities, and the others I was just guessing.

There are now 12 CCS cases, 8 of which ended early. Of those, one was a 10cm AAA and one was a pediatric subdural hematoma, both of which I got the diagnosis and the appropriate intervention but took me several hours of simulated time before figuring it out and making the diagnosis.

Of the 4 that I took full time on, the first was a woman with diabetes who came in with significant hyperglycemia and a STEMI. I initially treated her for non-ketotic hyperosmolar hyperglycemia due to abd pain but no chest pain, but found the STEMI when she got worse instead of better. The second was a young boy with sickle cell, chest pain and pneumonia, and was stumped. I ended up trying to intubate him because his respiration rate was about 40 for several hours, but it was refused. The third was a woman that I diagnosed with HIV, CD4 count of 50, and non-hodgkins lymphoma, however the only anti-retroviral I could remember was zidovudine, and I wasn't sure what to do after making the diagnosis. The final one was an older male with back pain due to osteopenia and a spinal compression fracture without neurological symptoms and normal PTH/calcium/calcitonin and no evidence of multiple myeloma, and again, had no idea what to do from that point.

So 6 decent performances on the CCS, 3 delays in diagnosis, and 3 that I got the diagnosis but was lost on management.

Anyways, I feel like I did much better this time around on the MCQ. I got through them faster and there were several questions in each block that I'm very confident I got correct, but that I'm also sure I would have had to guess on had I gotten those same questions the first time around. But I don't think the CCS was as straightforward as it was previously, though I made sure to put in every minute nursing order I could think of and the "RATED SEX" orders at the end of every case, and scheduled every patient for a colonoscopy, pap smear, PSA check, etc as appropriate.

Anyways, hoping this effort was good enough to raise my score 7 points.

 

[smartreader]

I am a Canadian medical school graduate. Currently in my PGY3 year. Studied intermittently for 4-6 weeks. Did about 30% of the USMLE world questions. Average score ranged from 55-65% on the USMLE world. Never took a practice test. On the actual test day, I felt that the exam was as difficult as the USMLE world. I did not feel confident with the MCQs - most of the questions centered around Peds and Gyne (not my area of interest). I guessed about 20-30% of the questions. 8/12 CCS cases were completed early.

Final Score: 226/84

Glad to be done with the USMLE. Onwards to more exciting endeavours.

 

[uncndn]

Step 1: 228
Step 2: 261
Step 3: UW 69% / Actual Test 250

So glad to be done with the USMLE.

 

[aimyja]

I've been monitoring this thread throughout my Step 3 process and thought I'd take this opportunity to give back. Here goes:
IMG/PGY1 FM
Studied for about 4 weeks at night after work (2-3 hours/day)
UW average 1st pass = 59% (random, unused & timed) did about 80% of Q’s
UW CCS x 1 (interactive only)
MTB: bought it but didn’t read it =0(
Took the exam on March/2012
UW assessment exam 2 weeks before exam= 215
Score report today (6/05/2012 at 900 PM)
Step 3 actual = 215/81


The questions definitely felt like UW questions, but I am certain I messed up 3 CCS cases and still managed to pass =0)


Glad to be done! Good luck everyone!!

 

[Tritleb]

Woah, that was interesting.

Very random. Marked 5-10 questions per block, those being questions where a little extra time would help. There would be 5 or so questions per block where I knew I had no idea, so I didn't bother marking them. I actually felt better taking this exam than Step 2, in which I felt like I was guessing most of the time. (Maybe because I didn't care as much). Here I would say I knew 30-40%, good guess on another 20-30%, totally guessing on 10-20% or so.

Lots of "what is the next best step in the management of this patient" some of which I believe were trying to be a little tricky. Make sure you read all the answers to gauge which is the best to do next. There was still a fair amount of diagnosis, and even some pathophysiology questions.

Mine felt very OB and Derm heavy. Only had 1 drug ad and 1 abstract, neither of which were very difficult. Overall I would say the UW questions were tougher than the actual USMLE questions.

As far as the cases are concerned - I felt the real deal Cases we much less straightforward than the UW cases were. Becoming familiar with the software with UW is a must, I don't see how you could navigate them without being familiar with the software. I had one that went down to the wire, still have no idea what the girl had.

I did almost all of UW on tutor, roughly 60% before review started. Used Step 3 Triage sparingly (would recommend against buying this book). Mainly reviewed Step 2 CK and supplemented with Step Up to Medicine.

Step 1: 258/99
Step 2: 260/99
Step 3: 239/88

Not surprised. Felt like I was guessing most of the test. The Cases were on the low end in the score report, probably drug my score down a bit. Surprisingly, the highest "starred" areas on my score report were portions of medicine I feel most uncomfortable with. It all seems very random, my advice is don't put in more than 7-10 days reviewing for this test. (Assuming you're doing what I did, put in a few hours in the morning and another few in the afternoon, then relaxing in the evening).

Fare thee poor USMLE. Can't say I'll miss your absolutely absurd prices for your exams.

 

[sebsvenmdc]

Step 1: 255/99
Step 2: 253/99
Step 3: 236/87

Wish I could have had a 250s trifecta, but unfortunately the Step 3 is just a different beast. I feel like the the PGY-3s in IM probably do the best...they have the most time to brush up on OB, Peds, and other areas.

I just used the 1 review book and did World questions. Averaged about 67% on UW. Not sure what the new 2 digit score means...it's almost a percentile now. Mine was 87 and I was exactly 1 s.d. above the mean. But, 75 still corresponds to passing (190), so it can't be the case.

Done with USMLE. I actually enjoyed doing well on them.

 

[Batmaan21]

Let me be the one to say what everyone is thinking after that last post by sebsvenmdc -

Who cares if you got 250's etc on your steps - you're a complete tool and loser - the arrogance in that post just pours out a narcissicism that only those compensating for something must display.
And yes I'm trying to be mean - apparently nobody has gotten through to you to this point

To write a post like yours when you know some people on this board must have failed (no, I'm not one of them), I can only pray that you went into Pathology.

Loser.
Amazing how many total social clowns get through the US med school system.

 

[sebsvenmdc]

That's a pretty inflammatory and immature reply. I'm not doing pathology. Ad hominem attacks are usually worth not responding to. I was sharing my stats with the SDN community so that they can be encouraged if they experience a downward trend...especially with regard to the Step 3. I do wish that I could have scored in the 250s on the Step 3 though...but realize I didn't prepare enough. There's nothing arrogant about aspiring towards numerical goals and working for them. I'm posting anonymously, so your criticism of narcissism is ironic. Get over your hate and stop the xenophobia.

 

[Depakote]

lets keep the discussion in this thread civil, thanks.

 

[POnuts]

Just received my score (exactly at midnight). I thought I should contribute to the forum, as it has been helpful in my USMLE studies over the last few years.

I took my test 3 weeks ago..man, I felt like complete crap walking out of it. I never feel well leaving these tests, but this one was by far the worst feeling. I wasn't even sure if I should return for day 2. I had all kinds of problem with timing. The damn questions were either too long or short and vague. Tons of pictures too. It felt like a hardcore step 2 ck exam with more randomness. People say it's all about management, but half of my test involved diagnosis and pathophys; It seemed like only 20% of the questions were straightforward. I even had random step 1 questions on it, stuff you just can't study for it.
So, I studied for about 6 weeks on elective rotations. All I did was Uworld, twice, tutor mode. Averaged around 60-65%. Also used MTB every now and then. I figured this was a good strategy, because all I used for step 2 ck was Uworld and I got a 99 on it. But honestly, I think world is lacking on quality for this test, especially Ob-gyn and peds. (they should incorporate more Step 2 ck concepts).

Results: 210/81 (Step 1: 231/97, Step 2: 230/99).
NBME1 2 days before exam: 430

My advice: Do Uworld on TIMED mode. I was way too comfortable on tutor mode. This test is all about stamina and time management. As soon as you finish reading the question, you have to pick an answer and move on. I got completely screwed on so many blocks because of this..Also, read Ob-gyn and Peds step 2 material, i swear half of my questions came from this. If you have time, I would consider maybe doing kaplan q-bank or something else.
-CCS: I had 12 cases. I completely bombed 3 of them, I had no idea what was going on with my peds case. I also forgot some things every now and then, like important diagnostic studies..Somehow, my performance was above borderline. U world was money for this section, just do all the cases and pay attention to the sequence. 2 of the cases showed up on my test.
-I shouldnt be complaining, I just feel usmleworld's quality is lacking compared to step 2 ck. As matter of fact, most of the resources for this test suck ass compared to previous steps. For people that failed this test, I feel for y'all. It's a tough test. Who ever designed this test is an idiot; it does not measure the quality of a doctor.

 

[arielred]

Background: Starting residency next week(!) IMG. Step 1: 238, Step 2: 244
Books read: MTB once, listened to half of the Archer subject lectures, and about half an hour of the ********** lecture (ran out of time)

U World once in tutor mode, by subject.. 59%. Did all the questions I got wrong again.
U World CCS cases twice.
UWSA one week out: 215
Actual score: 219

I thought some of the MCQs were ok and some were kinda random. All my CCS cases ended early but turns out I got a borderline in CCS and my higher performance in MCQs saved me. Just glad I'm done.

 

[Andreji]

1.5 mos light reading, MTB+FA
simultaneous UW qbank for the last 20 days, 2 blocks, timed x day
Avg: 68%
5 days UW CCS practice

Actual score: 231

I would hold on to the FA much, much more than the MTB as far as books go. UW qbank as usual is good, but this time around a bit further from accuracy vs the questions (some were very random or specific on the exam).

UW CCS is good practice, and points you in the right direction. but it fails to let you know most cases will end abruptly in the real thing, which kinda freaked me while doing it (then found out that's good).

Conclusion=FA+UW Qbank (do it timed)+UWCCS (optional)
Don't=MTB (stop the royalties to mr. Fisher for once)

 

[ARB1981]

Step 1: 227
Step 2: 255
UWSA: 244 Actual step 3 score : 249

I'm at a cush TY year...honestly I don't think I knew much from experience, so I felt like I should put some effort into studying.

Did UW qbank + CCS over a couple months. I did the qbank in tutor mode, probably at 55-65%. I went over all missed and marked questions multiple times. Supplemented with MTB for sections I was weak in (peds, OB, psych). I never looked at FA, so I don't know if thats better...MTB seemed sufficient. I felt about as well prepared as I could be for the multiple choice...there are plenty of random questions on step 3 which I don't think I could have studied for.

UW CCS was pretty good for preparing, but I definitely screwed up at least 3 of the cases...I don't think I got the diagnosis on 1 of them. If I knew of another CCS site that provides better feedback, I may have gone with that.

 

[LouisianaDoctor]

Got my score today. 193. I don't give a **** that it's low. I'm just glad to be done with this test. I start residency in a couple of weeks and I'm so glad that I don't have to worry about EVER studying for a USMLE exam again in my life. I truly believe that the USMLE exams are some of the worst written and just plain stupid exams ever given. Good bye USMLE, I've spent like $3500 or whatever taking your stupid tests.

All I have to worry about now is stuff that I actually need to know. Like my inservice material and my actual board certified exam.

 

[CardiacIntensivist]

PASSED!!!!

 

[MD2B11]

Just took the test recently. Anybody know what was the turn around time for results?

 

[CH52584]

Passed!

For those interested in trends--

Step 1: 221
Step 2: 229
Step 3 without studying: 183
Step 3 with studying: 208

58% on USMLEWorld, approximately 80% of the questions completed unused, timed. Did not practice for CCS cases.

Both times, the scores were available at 12AM eastern time exactly 18 business days after my first day of testing.

 

[Ishie1013]

Passed!! Woot!

UWorld: started pretty low, then hit around 58% Went through all questions once and picked up about a sixth of my incorrects. Absolutely did not study between days. Watched Archer and drank a glass of wine.

Step 1: 239/99
Step 2: 235/99
Step 3: 216/82

I'm a pathology resident and took it as late in my first year as my program allowed (thank goodness they make us take it early). I didn't really go at it hardcore, but put in a steady effort since I knew my clinmed had weakened, and then took the week before the exam off (worst use of vacation time ever) and took it Fri/Sat. I didn't use much other than UWorld, both CCS and Qbank versions. The CCS was crucial for me because of the format of the exam, and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Felt pretty fine during most of the exam (way less stress than step 1 and quite a bit less stress than step 2). Didn't feel very confident about the case scenarios and completely mismanaged one of them (hopefully the families of virtual patients can't sue), but the score breakdown on them wasn't awful. I would order counseling early (like CS) because if the case terminates abruptly on you (and they do), you get it in there. I did feel like endurance was more important than actual knowledge on this round, and gut feelings were good. There were too many questions to dwell long periods on any of them, so I rarely marked any unless I had to go back for something like longer arithmetic.

I got my score the fourth Wednesday after the exam (today). It probably would have been last week but it was a holiday. Good luck to everyone!

 

[thunder hawk]

Just wanted to make my contribution to this forum as I was using it during my step 3 prep.

A little background: I am currently in 4th year yr of gen surg training. Did initial 2 yrs of prelim and then a lab yr and now matched to categorical spot this yr. I wanted to take step 3 before the start of new intern yr. Took Step 1 and 2 back in 07 and 08 so my knowledge was pretty much expired so needless to say I had to start from zero.

Time frame: Studied for about 2 months. I added 2 weeks of vacation in this time frame as well which actually helped a lot. I was working in a lab and taking calls as well during that time. I used to study at night, on weekends and during the vacation time.

Study source: Kaplan Step 3 Lecture Notes. Read cover to cover times 2. Bought MTB but did not get time to read it.

MCQ Sources:
UW Q bank: Completed 100% during the first read. Scored 58% which increased to 60% at the end. 2 days before exam I re read the educ obj of almost all UW 2-3 days beforeexam.
Kaplan Q Bank. Finished 100% during the second read. Scored 62%.
UWSA: Finished 2 days before exam. Score 233
USMLE Step 3 Official Questions: Score 66%
Used UW for CCS prep. Did all the cases both read out and actual cases x 2.

Step 1 score: 98/234
Step 2 score: 99/245
Step 3 score: 84/224

So happy to pass...now i can move on with my life and focus on surgical text books which i have not touched since ABSITE.

KHUDA HAFIZ Step 3.......

 

[MD2B11]

Just got my score. Passed with 3 weeks of studying. Interesting that it was the highest of all of my steps... when all I needed was to just pass.

Anyway, so I did UWORLD with average 62% all on timed x1, read and studied every explanation. I used MTB just for reference, did not even get closed to finishing. I took the newest NBME and UWORLD practice and got high 220's on both of them.

For the CCS, I did the UWORLD simulation twice, and read the print out questions once.

On the exam, I was super unsure or myself. First day I thought I failed, marking more than half of each section. Second day was much better, finished around 2 PM. The cases were pretty straightforward, I think I got all of my cases to end before the time was up.

Then 4 weeks later, my score was 239, way beyond my expectation. I think the thing that helped me the most was the CCS. A lot of people blow it off, but this was where I performed the best and gave me the boost. Anyway, glad to be done with the USMLE series for this lifetime.

 

[Thanatos]

Allright, USMLE is done for me. Forever. It felt good just typing that.

Here are my numbers:

Step 1: 236/99
Step 2: 236/98
Step 3: 222/83

I studied about 5-6 weeks for 4-5 hours per day. I read all of first aid once but only made it through 3/4th of the cases in the back of the book. I did 80% of the USMLE world questions and averaged 60% overall. I did about half timed, half in tutor mode. For the cases I only did the practice ones the USMLE people provide us to familiarize yourself with the software.

Time is not usually an issue for me on exams, but I was hustling like a mofo to finish some of these blocks on time. Unlike the first two steps there was a lot of wtf for me on many of the questions and 2-3 of the cases but I still survived.

Walking away from this stupid ass worthless yet expensive test, I can't help but feel like my study materials did not really provide me with everything I needed. I memorized first aid for step 1 and 2 and there were very very few surprises on those tests for me, and I walked out of them exhausted but feeling good. Walking out of this one I was like holy hell I hope I passed this thing, every other question I was kind of scratching my head.

Its worth mentioning that I'm a general surgery resident.....and we don't do this type of **** ever. I do not evaluate patients in the primary care setting ever. I do not look in peoples eyes, I do not manage outpatient diabetes, and I sure as hell do not work up anything that even smells like lupus, arthritis, or leukemia. We have to be at a huge disadvantage on this exam compared to my friends doing internal medicine, fp, and peds. Hell even the OBGYNs can at least count on doing well on female reproductive questions.

All that being said, I still passed by a wide margin so I don't know if people are really studying for this thing that much. Suck it USMLE, I hope you enjoy my hard earned money, and I will continue to blame you for having 200 medical students a year that don't know what a hernia is, the difference between cholecystitis and cholelithiasis, and the workup of GI bleeding (all very very common things) but can write me a book on the different subspecies of Plasmodium and various enzyme deficiencies no one gives a **** about.

 

[JabsterL]

All that being said, I still passed by a wide margin so I don't know if people are really studying for this thing that much. Suck it USMLE, I hope you enjoy my hard earned money, and I will continue to blame you for having 200 medical students a year that don't know what a hernia is, the difference between cholecystitis and cholelithiasis, and the workup of GI bleeding (all very very common things) but can write me a book on the different subspecies of Plasmodium and various enzyme deficiencies no one gives a **** about.

Haha congrats Thanatos! And here I'd trusted the NBME that getting half the questions right on these exams was the best way to determine who should be granted a medical license..

 

[TeeMcGee]

Just got my score, exactly 4 weeks after day 1. I studied about 10 days, 2-3 hours a day, mostly doing U World with a little MTB mixed in. I completed about 40% of UWorld, 64% correct on random, and got a 233 on the UWSA. Also this was between graduating med school and starting residency.

Step 1: 236
Step 2: 257
Step 3: 240

 

[med2007]

Studied for about 1 month about 3 hours per day...more as the date approached. UWORLD average 69%-tutor mode, no other sources used. Score obtained exactly 1 month after exam.
Step 3 : 225

Buh Bye USMLE!

 

[Step3orBust]

Referenced this site numerous times while studying for step 3 (as well as while awaiting my score report) and wanted to contribute back to the discussion.

A bit of history: Studied approx 6-8 weeks, anywhere from 2-3 hours/day during outpatient clinic months. Took a week of vacation (worst use of vacation ever) 1 week before the exam. At that time, I was studying 10-12 hours/day.

Scores:
Step I: 207/?
Step II: 227/99
Step III: 197/77

Preparation:

Completed UWorld, mix of timed/untimed, all 48 Q blocks, with 58% cumulative average. Started near 58-60%, dipped down to 50-55%, but finished last 4-6 tests with averages in 60-70%.

Did not complete NBME or UWSA.

Perused MTB, one time complete, over course of 4-5 months.

Reviewed all of UW CCS scenarios, did not read print cases.

Experience:

My Step 3 score is lower than I would have expected (based on UW % correlation), but this test was also measuring endurance; on-the-spot gut-reflex answers. There isn't much time to read/linger on questions. Further advice might include the need to keep moving forward during the exam. During my timed tests with UW, I was finishing with 10-15 min to spare. However, on real test, I had seconds left...

All of my CCS cases ended early, with the exception of one gentleman with HIV and unknown opportunistic infection (lab work had not identified agent) and was in process of treating him empirically. Several of my CCS cases were covered in UW CCS, though, not all of them.

IMO, CCS saved my otherwise borderline performance. UW CCS was invaluable for my experience, and I would recommend to anyone with intentions of undertaking this monster exam.

My score was available 5 weeks after taking exam (July 4th holiday fell during that period).

To those aspiring physicians- hope that this information helps some of you out there.

You can do it!

I wouldn't adhere to the old mantra of 2 months, 2 weeks, #2 pencil- this is a tough exam.

Though my score is on the low side, I'm just happy to be done!

Goodbye forever, USMLE!

 

[Ntzach]

Hi!

I would like to subscribe to UW or Kaplan Qbank, but I am not sure which one to chose and also to know if they are updated because some of the usmle announcements 2012 said that CCS has now 12 cases lasting 10 or 20 minutes after february 2012.

Please those who had took step 3 recently and had used either one or both banks, could you write a response?

Thank you!

 

[RaraBovis]

Hi!

I would like to subscribe to UW or Kaplan Qbank, but I am not sure which one to chose and also to know if they are updated because some of the usmle announcements 2012 said that CCS has now 12 cases lasting 10 or 20 minutes after february 2012.

Please those who had took step 3 recently and had used either one or both banks, could you write a response?

Thank you!

I used UWorld CCS and thought they were great for preparation. The pattern almost exactly matched the actual exam. The actual exam had very straightforward cases. UWorld has straightforward as well as slightly difficult cases so I guess it's good preparation for all situations.

 

[Perrotfish]

Just got out and that test was brutal. I definitely felt like the UWorld questions were less representative than usual this time around. The actual exam felt way more primary care oriented: like the questions should have been easier but were in fact harder because I didn't know any of them. UWorld CCS was definitely great prep for that part of the exam, every case ended fast (one eneded so fast I still think I might have screwed up, becaues I barely started managing the patient). I definitely feel like I would have felt more prepared if I had made a little more time for reading MTB.

Anyway: Uworld, all but 275 questions complete on random, timed blocks witha 57% average. 217 on the UWorld practice exam, finished all but 5 of the CCS cases, and read a few chapeters of master the boards on my weakest subjects. Hoping I only need to take this once, guess I'll find out in 3 weeks.