deferring taking step 3?

[ilovepath]

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Are there any horror stories about residents deferring taking step 3? Alot of my colleagues and myself have issues about when is a good time to schedule it. Just curious if there are any stories of folks out there who waited too long and a lot of path knowledge displaced the clinical knowledge? Thx

 

[TMZ2007]

One of my classmates put his/hers off until the end of May second year, and failed after not enough prep. Our hospital requires a passing score to start PGY3 in July, so it was a tense period of time for him/her.

I'd say that if you can get it done before you start residency (or asap), do so. OTOH, the test is really easy, so if you did well (like 240+) on Step 2, there's no reason you really should fail, even with path stuff displacing clinical medicine out of your brain...

 

[KeratinPearls]

Prepare for it and get it out of the way asap. It will interfere with your residency training and there is so much to learn pathwise. The time taken away from studying for Step 3 is time you could have used for pathology reading and looking at slides. Believe me take it asap or you will regret it. The longer you wait the knowledge will slip away from you. If you did well on Step 2 you have no reason to delay Step 3.

This goes out to all new residency applicants as well.

 

[mlw03]

agree with all the above. if at all possible, just bang the thing out, minimal or no studying needed.

 

[Tiki]

Overall, if you are a good test taker I don't think it matters when you take it. I took it March of my second year and did fine. I will agree that you'll have to put a bit more time into studying for it, because you'll have forgotten a lot of the stuff.

I put it off because I wanted to study path the first six months of the year, not study for step 3. Our second year happens to be straight CP, so it's a good time of the year to study. I probably had to study about 3-4 weeks for it, whereas the folks who took it right away probably barely studied.

 

[Euchromatin]

I wanted to get it out of the way, so I took it early in first year, in October, I think. I basically took one week off service - studied for three full days (used First Aid and USMLE World questions if anyone was wondering), then took the test. I passed with no problem. While certainly not a "vacation" it was a nice break from AP for a week and I think I came back somewhat refreshed.

 

[Dawn1980]

I'd get it over with. I took Step 3 in August of my first year (the earliest I could schedule it). I'm a horrible test taker though, so I'm glad I got it over with before my "clinical" knowledge was replaced with path. If you're a good test taker, I don't think it matters when you decide.

 

[BU Pathology]

You are optimally prepared to take step III at the end of your fourth year of medical school, if you are in a pathology residency. There is very little pathology on step III so the training in pathology will not really prepare you for this exam. The greater the distance from your fourth year clinical training the greater the chances of failing. Based on my experiences working with people who have failed a board exam there is a common denominator. These people typically delayed taking the exam such that they were far removed from the training that prepared them for the exam.

 

[ilovepath]

Part of why I mentioned it is that I have compelling antecdotes about some who waited until her 4th year, she failed and there was a lapse beyond the 7 years allowed between step 1 and step 3...and I'm not sure what happened. I think she had to take them all--1, ck, cs, as well as 3 again.

I was wondering if I would flush out other antecdotes.

 

[yaah]

Just take it early. Residency gets busier and busier as you go on. The most time you will have to study and take it is almost certainly going to be in the first half of your training. Plus, being closer to med school helps. People who have the most trouble with it always seem to be the ones who delay it the most. This is not a coincidence.

 

[sohsie]

I know someone who waited until PGY4 and then failed. He was very smart and there was no reason for them to fail except that they pushed it off too long and then didnt take it seriously enough. They passed the second time around. I concur with the others who say take the test as soon as you can and get it over with.

Dont get caught up in state requirements either. Just apply through a state that has no requirements like Connecticut even if you have no intention of ever setting foot in the state.

 

[deleted314957]

just don't deferr it. it is a nasty habit to get in to