The best time to take the USMLE? How late is too late?

[drstand93]

Hi, I am a fourth year medical student from Indonesia. I am planning to do my residency in the US or New Zealand and therefore I have to sit for the USMLE exam. After I graduate, I am planning to take a prep course for the step 1 and 2ck for a year in the Kaplan International College in the NZ before taking the test.

Is it too late? Because most people sit for that exam in their 3rd year or something. If I wait until graduation and do that prep course and take the test then it will be like in my 7th or 8th year.

Thanks

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[hallowmann]

3rd yr in the US is like 4th or 5th year elsewhere. In the US we have 4 years of undergraduate after secondary school and then 4 years of medical school after that (i.e. 3rd year is really 7th year of an 8 year process, whereas most other countries have a 5-6 yr process).

I don't know about New Zealand, but it is difficult to secure a residency in the US as a non-US citizen international medical graduate. Match rates are roughly 49% for attaining a residency. Be sure to look into the process thoroughly before committing to it.

The USMLE tests medical knowledge and application. As long as you've studied well and for a sufficient amount of time, you should be fine. Most non-US citizen international medical graduates take the USMLE steps after graduating from medical school.