How is Step 3 easier????

[Tastebuds]

I just finished medical school and will be starting residency this fall. Everyone says that Step 3 is a lot easier than Step 1 or Step 2 but I don't understand how this can be, especially since Step 3 is spread over 2 days with 8 hours the first day and 8 hours the 2nd day! For the first 2 steps, I was exhausted after an 8 hour day!!!! I couldn't imagine having to wake up the next day and start the day all over again.

Can anyone shed some light on how Step 3 is easier (except for the fact that I should know more since I will be a resident).

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[winner123]

I just finished medical school and will be starting residency this fall. Everyone says that Step 3 is a lot easier than Step 1 or Step 2 but I don't understand how this can be, especially since Step 3 is spread over 2 days with 8 hours the first day and 8 hours the 2nd day! For the first 2 steps, I was exhausted after an 8 hour day!!!! I couldn't imagine having to wake up the next day and start the day all over again.

Can anyone shed some light on how Step 3 is easier (except for the fact that I should know more since I will be a resident).

I m so surprised to know that some people think Step-3 is easier.
Step-3 is the only exam in the USMLE series which contains vague questions.How can something which is so vague be easier?

 

[titanjones]

barely studied..passed no prob. so happy.

 

[lord_jeebus]

I thought it had the greatest emphasis on bread-and-butter diseases of the 3 steps - things you have actually seen as a med student or intern.

I didn't think there was anything vague about the questions.

 

[NeuroDocDO]

I thought it was definetely harder than Step 1 and Step 2. The fact that it is 2 days long is enough to make it harder.

 

[zinjanthropus]

I just finished medical school and will be starting residency this fall. Everyone says that Step 3 is a lot easier than Step 1 or Step 2 but I don't understand how this can be, especially since Step 3 is spread over 2 days with 8 hours the first day and 8 hours the 2nd day! For the first 2 steps, I was exhausted after an 8 hour day!!!! I couldn't imagine having to wake up the next day and start the day all over again.

Can anyone shed some light on how Step 3 is easier (except for the fact that I should know more since I will be a resident).

Step 3 is easier because the questions are similar to the stuff you do all day at work already. also, less emphasis on primary level factoid questions - more emphasis on broad mgmt plans.

also, most people finish day 1 in 5-6 hours and day 2 in 4-5 hours.

 

[FirstMANdown]

I personally think part of it has to do with "the luck of the draw". Some folks may have more blocks that are bread & butter stuff while some folks get shafted with more vague or choosier answer choices for many of there blocks.....I think it all depends, just a thought. Thats probably one of the reasons why the USMLE/NBME wont release any information on the break down of the exams. I think it would open up a big bag of worms. Who knows, in some sense it may even be some big grand statistical conspiracy to increase revenue and cherry pick. "The world will never know". If there has to be strict Government regulation in this country I think it should start with the USMLE/NBME organization. If its got be socialized medicine might as well start from the top on down.

 

[EaglesPA]

I believe the main reason people say it's "easier" is that by the time most people take step III, they only need to "PASS" whereas with Steps 1 and 2 you are aiming for a high score for residency application.
The second reason is that it deals more with commonly-encountered problems/diseases.

 

[jpro]

agreed. Just passing step 3 is easy but if you want to rank the three steps in order of difficulty it would go 1, 3, and 2.

 

[Bladder]

barely studied..passed no prob. so happy.

how long did you study for?
when did you take it... pgy1, pgy2....?