USMLE Failed to match, should I take Step 3?

[Chicago2012]

I'm an AMG with low scores who has tried to match these last two years in FM and failed to do so despite 7 interviews last year and 8 this year. I was told at one point by a Program Director that if I take Step 3 and do well I may be able to convince more programs that I'm worth the chance, but since I'm an AMG the rules as to when I can take Step 3 are a little more stringent. Is this a strategy I should look into? And as someone with less than impressive Board scores, what should my studying strategy be? I already have MTB for Step 3 but was thinking that maybe I should review some Step 1 and Step 2 material before I do so. If so, what should I read for a quick review?

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[yayforscrambling]

bump

 

[coat0023]

I don't see how it could hurt. I plan on taking Step 3 before starting internship in July, so my plan is to restudy for Step 2 with DIT videos or something and then use MTB 3 to annotate Uworld answer explanations. I think this would be a good strategy for you as well since you've had difficulty in the past and it's been awhile since you took Step 2.

Also, consider getting involved with some sort of structured research experience at a program that you are interested in or with someone that will go to bat for you as you apply for residency programs for the next cycle.

 

[yayforscrambling]

thanks so much for the reply... any clue how you'd go about looking for a structured research experience?

PS: I'm doing practice q's right now and let's say dude presents with sxs of testicular torsion. What's the very first thing you do? I said testicular US, but the answer was "surgical exploration" because his sxs made it very unlikely to be anything but testicular torsion. wtf? it's a kaplan Q, and yes I know they suck... but i feel like if this was a uworld Q, I would've been right on. Any input at all? thanks again

 

[Chicago2012]

What do you think about the Kaplan Step 3 videos? I started watching them (love Dr. Conrad Fischer) and it seems like a good way to go over the material. I'll probably do what you said with the Step 2 videos too.

 

[Campanella]

I don't know about the videos, but I used UWorld and Master the Boards for Step 3 studying. I can't comment on how UWorld's questions compare to Kaplan or other sources, but UWorld's CCS simulations are excellent preparation for that portion of the exam. I took Step 3 before the NBME added more basic science questions to the exam, but those changes were made 5 months ago so the question bank should have caught up by now.

 

[Chicago2012]

How long should I study for and what kind of schedule should I use to study?

 

[Campanella]

It depends on how well you did on Steps 1 and 2. If you did average, then a month of about 5 - 6 hours/day of dedicated studying should be enough to reach your prior performances. If you did below average on Steps 1 and 2, and/or you want to do well on Step 3 (like 230+), then you should extend your studying to 2 to 3 months. Master the Boards is good for reviewing any medicine you may have forgotten, and UWorld is good for testing your knowledge and reviewing the CCS cases.

 

[mvenus929]

It depends on how well you did on Steps 1 and 2. If you did average, then a month of about 5 - 6 hours/day of dedicated studying should be enough to reach your prior performances. If you did below average on Steps 1 and 2, and/or you want to do well on Step 3 (like 230+), then you should extend your studying to 2 to 3 months. Master the Boards is good for reviewing any medicine you may have forgotten, and UWorld is good for testing your knowledge and reviewing the CCS cases.

That much studying was overkill even for step 2. Step 3 is designed for residents to take and pass. I studied for maybe 1-2 hours a night for about a month (started studying earlier, but there were several nights I didn't study at all in the month leading up to the exam), and I did above average. I did below average on step 1 and above average on step 2, for comparison.

Oh, and I only used Uworld aback and ccs, not master the boards.

 

[Chicago2012]

I'll probably go somewhere in the middle.

 

[drkristy85]

I'm an AMG with low scores who has tried to match these last two years in FM and failed to do so despite 7 interviews last year and 8 this year. I was told at one point by a Program Director that if I take Step 3 and do well I may be able to convince more programs that I'm worth the chance, but since I'm an AMG the rules as to when I can take Step 3 are a little more stringent. Is this a strategy I should look into? And as someone with less than impressive Board scores, what should my studying strategy be? I already have MTB for Step 3 but was thinking that maybe I should review some Step 1 and Step 2 material before I do so. If so, what should I read for a quick review?

are you a DO or MD grad?

 

[Chicago2012]

MD grad

 

[yayforscrambling]

I'm an AMG with low scores who has tried to match these last two years in FM and failed to do so despite 7 interviews last year and 8 this year. I was told at one point by a Program Director that if I take Step 3 and do well I may be able to convince more programs that I'm worth the chance, but since I'm an AMG the rules as to when I can take Step 3 are a little more stringent. Is this a strategy I should look into? And as someone with less than impressive Board scores, what should my studying strategy be? I already have MTB for Step 3 but was thinking that maybe I should review some Step 1 and Step 2 material before I do so. If so, what should I read for a quick review?

As an AMG who failed to match, I can appreciate the emotions involved with this process.

I have been able to register for Step 3 with zero issues. Everyone's been saying that a good score on Step 3 might help residency directors see past my barely passing Step 1 (2nd try), and 2nd pass on CS.

However, my issue had also to do with the fact that I applied somewhat late and to not enough programs. Is that something you may have also done?

It's been a while since I took CK, so I can understand the feeling of not knowing where to start; however, I did well on CK and I'm using the same method. Just keep hitting uworld questions and you'll slowly see your scores go up. I did maybe half of kaplan's questions until I realized they were a waste of time. At least for me.

Again, sorry to hear what you're going through.

 

[Chicago2012]

I applied on time to 120 programs and had 8 interviews

 

[NYDO2014]

Sorry about not matching.
You should review whether your LORs/MSPE contain any negative comments.
If you are determine to get a residency position, you might want to look into pathology/psychiatry residency as well. (people routine matched psych/path with board failure/repeating year).

 

[yayforscrambling]

Sorry about not matching.
You should review whether your LORs/MSPE contain any negative comments.
If you are determine to get a residency position, you might want to look into pathology/psychiatry residency as well. (people routine matched psych/path with board failure/repeating year).

would you advise applying to all 3 specialties, i.e. FM, psych, and path?

wouldn't a particular PD talk to another PD and find out what we're doing? I'm also assuming we'd need to get personalized letters of recommendation for each specialty, right?

also, what if the MSPE does contain somewhat negative comments? we're not allowed to change anything in it. at least that's what I've heard about the policies at my school. Are there people who are able to convince their schools to leave something out of an MSPE? is it worth a shot to email my school?

thanks in advance

 

[Campanella]

would you advise applying to all 3 specialties, i.e. FM, psych, and path?

wouldn't a particular PD talk to another PD and find out what we're doing? I'm also assuming we'd need to get personalized letters of recommendation for each specialty, right?

also, what if the MSPE does contain somewhat negative comments? we're not allowed to change anything in it. at least that's what I've heard about the policies at my school. Are there people who are able to convince their schools to leave something out of an MSPE? is it worth a shot to email my school?

thanks in advance

Applying to those 3 specialties is okay, but you should avoid applying to more than one specialty at each hospital. Applying to several specialties at the same hospital is when PDs might start getting suspicious. If you're going to apply to 3 specialties, you need make sure that you apply to enough programs in each specialty, which is going to be really really expensive. Have you spoken with anyone you know in FM, psych or path to discuss your chances in each one? If you have a good relationship with anyone in those fields, they may also be able to provide a good letter. If your school won't let you delay graduation, there is still time to get at least one rotation in for a fresh letter.

As for the MSPE, I don't know of any school that will remove negative comments from the final letter, but you should be able to know if negative comments are even there. At my school, the MSPE was constructed from feedback that we'd gotten and were able to view throughout the year, and we were able to read our MSPE before it was sent to ERAS. We weren't able to change anything in it, but we at least knew what to expect if there was something negative. I hope this helps!

 

[Over9000]

Just apply to path. If you apply to the low-end programs in NY state you're bound to get in somewhere. If you don't believe me, google the resident rosters of programs like Buffalo or Albany.

 

[yayforscrambling]

thank you both for the replies.

Campanella, your post was very helpful. Unfortunately I've already graduated, so I can't really take another rotation. I have a copy of my MSPE - it's not the greatest, but it's definitely not that bad. I realize how expensive this next application process is going to be, but honestly, it's a lot more expensive spending another year doing pretty much nothing. I quite literally have a useless degree. Thanks again for your advice

 

[Xbocker]

Never give up man

 

[MDROBIN001]

My friend who graduated from the carribian, did not match twice, took Step 3 and worked for one year as a technician in the ER, pass step 3 from the first time, matched in FM at the same hospital, done residency but was spending most of his night working & helping his peeps in the same ER he worked at. After residency he got a job in a different state, guess what? ER and making > 300k / y..
NEVER GIVE UP!

 

[yayforscrambling]

I really appreciate the kind words of encouragement you guys... it just feels like rock bottom.... one second you're wondering where you matched at, and another second you realize you're not going anywhere. This really really blows. Also, as each day passes by, I have been realizing more and more how useless an MD is without residency. Literally - useless. Thank God I've got some awesome family members willing to help out financially while I get Step 3 out of the way, but this whole medical school process thing has been a living nightmare. I honestly wouldn't know what to do if I didn't have Step 3 to study for to keep my mind off my crappy situation. You bust your a$$ to get into an american medical school - then everyone tells you that you're all set and good to go. Medical school starts, and you then realize that you had no clue what busting your a$$ even means! You spend the next 4 years in survival mode, just trying to keep your head above water, then you're finally glad it's almost over, but then you end up with nothing. Again, I really appreciate the words of encouragement

 

[Rock2168]

What do you think about the Kaplan Step 3 videos? I started watching them (love Dr. Conrad Fischer) and it seems like a good way to go over the material. I'll probably do what you said with the Step 2 videos too.

The Kaplan videos are good to use. They give great background knowledge. DIT now has step 3 videos which focus on more of the basics, if that's what you're looking for.

 

[Rock2168]

I applied on time to 120 programs and had 8 interviews

How are your interviewing skills? Maybe there's a personal factor involved. As you know, they'll ask about the exam scores. If you haven't done so, try to spin the shortcomings into strengths.

 

[IMreshopeful]

Best of luck. I agree that if with low scores and wide/broad applications as an AMG you're still not able to match a residency like FM then you may want to look for red flags in your application. Having not matched twice is unfortunately already a red flag. Definitely would consider doing psych or path or some other even less competitive residency as a backup.

I'm sure you'll be fine. Study for a long time and do well on step 3.