step 3 advice

Started by xjohns1
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xjohns1

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i'm a preliminary medicine pgy1 trying to plan for taking the step 3 later this spring. i'd really like to hear any advice from esp pgy2's who took it as pgy1. what did you use for questions? usmle world vs kaplan vs a text of questions? what was your favorite review text. thanks in advance for any help.
 
I used a couple of books of questions - lots of practice questions. And spend time with the CD they send you which goes through the case scenarios. If you do this you shouldn't have too much trouble. Some people use a book like crush the boards or whatever but that's really only if you think you have deficiencies in certain areas. Practicing questions will tell you what you don't know.
 
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The NMS question book was really good. Good explanations and covered a lot of material. I also read through crush step 3 one time over. I used swanson's family medicine review for the OB/GYN and IM parts only because I took that damn test as a 3rd yr peds resident and needed that review. It's really not too bad of a test... but don't take it so far into your residency that you're so far removed from the other various specialties.
 
As a surg PGY-1, we were required to take Step 3 by mid-Nov of PGY-1 yr. I didn't have the time to do any review except for looking over the CDrom with the computer cases between the 1st and 2nd days of the test. If you take it relatively early in your PGY-1 yr, alot of the info should still be pretty familiar to you from your med school rotations. Good Luck.

deb
 
i used crush step 3 and kaplan's qbank and did respectably.
 
So if you start Internship July 1st, can you sit the exam during a holiday break around christmas??
 
Yes, but you in no way, shape, or form should need 5 months of studying to pass Step 3 from what I hear/hope. I take it at the end of March and am not planning on any intensive studying. I'll probably read over Crush Step 3 and work the usmleworld questions towards the end of the month.
 
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