Part 3 preparation?

[gsrimport]

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For those of you who have already taken part 3, what advice to you have in terms of study materials? Thank you in advance.

 

[PMSIII]

For those of you who have already taken part 3, what advice to you have in terms of study materials? Thank you in advance.

I used Presby/McGlamry's for my review but really the best way to prepare for part III is to consistently keep up with literature throughout your training. I happen to train at a state that requires Part III to be completed AFTER my first year of residency training. So as a result, a lot of my preparation was honestly a reflection of my knowledge base as a first year resident. You have to keep in mind that this is essentially a competency exam and in theory, you should be demonstrating sound understanding in the practice of podiatry as a first year resident assuming you are consistent with your readings and academics. By no means should you be "cramming" for this exam one month prior to test date.

 

[DPMer]

I used Presby/McGlamry's for my review but really the best way to prepare for part III is to consistently keep up with literature throughout your training. I happen to train at a state that requires Part III to be completed AFTER my first year of residency training. So as a result, a lot of my preparation was honestly a reflection of my knowledge base as a first year resident. You have to keep in mind that this is essentially a competency exam and in theory, you should be demonstrating sound understanding in the practice of podiatry as a first year resident assuming you are consistent with your readings and academics. By no means should you be "cramming" for this exam one month prior to test date.

A DPM guy I know who has been hired recently in a ortho group told me that the best way to prepare for Step 3 is if you excelled really well in your clinical/surgical years (3rd and 4th yr), you will pass Part 3. In terms of reading review material, any review manual is fine. You only need 2 to 3 weeks of reading for review max.

Step 3 covers clinical/surgical stuff you were exposed to in 4th yr rotations. Alot of the questions you may have heard of through pimping sessions from clinical/surigcal faculty, attendings, and tough residents or fellows who love to pimp.

Those so called intimidating dreaded pimp sessions in 4th year are there for a reason...to prepare you for the Step 3 boards! That is why I will embrace every pimp session I encounter and also every clinical and surgical experience/case in my future 4th yr rotations.

In 4th year you are called the "sub intern" or "sub PGY-1", AKA the "pre-intern" year, as the MD allopathic people call it. Think of the Step 3 boards as "sub-PGY-1" podiatry test material.

 

[Feli]

I just took it before residency started... a couple months after pt2. So did a couple of my co-residents. Fyi to all, it's a 100% myth that you can't take NBPME pt3 until after your first year of residency. Completing at least one year of residency is a req to actually get your license in a lot of states, but not to apply. The only req for signing up for pt3 is that you have to have a full state license app in process (any state). NBPME will verify that you have an app in, and then you can register.

As for the exam, it was basically the exact same as pt2... mostly pod stuff. For any of the NBPMEs, just look at the content outline: it tells you all the topic areas tested. My surg knowledge was already more than sufficient since I'd just studied for clerkships + residency interviews. I studied PI manual (prob best resource for any boards in our specialty), Presby manual for medicine, and the NBPME Pearls book by Kushner for some of he oddball topics (biomech, pub health, radio, derm, etc).

 

[discusdan]

PI manual

 

[Pennsylvania Pod]

Bump. Any new insight for part III studying?

 

[g squared 23]

Easiest of the three by far; I took it in May before I started PGY I. With Parts 1 & 2, I walked out thinking I had failed, which seemed to be the prevalent feeling among people I spoke with. I walked out of Part 3 knowing for sure that I had passed. If you schedule decent clerkships and study along the way, Part 3 is a mere formality. If you were lazy or you are not a smart person, then board prep becomes necessary. Knowing PI manual backward and forward is a guarantee that you'll pass. More than that and you're killing yourself for nothing.

 

[AttackNME]

I suggest doing what you did for part 2, but don't need to take as long. I studied for P2 by reading pocket pod in 2 weeks. I studied for P3 by reading pocket pod in 2 days.

 

[dyk343]

Always over prepare. With that said... It is the easiest of the tests.

 

[Pennsylvania Pod]

Despite passing part two on my first try there were radiology and biomechanics questions on there that I'd never seen before and left the test thinking I failed. Is part three the same way?

 

[Podiatry1]

Despite passing part two on my first try there were radiology and biomechanics questions on there that I'd never seen before and left the test thinking I failed. Is part three the same way?

Would like to know the same thing

 

[dyk343]

There will be questions that you don't know the answer to on part III. But overall it is a more straightforward test. If you paid attention during school you will be fine. With that said I would still study for the exam.