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So I just finished my Step 3 a week ago and I thought I'd share my experiences since I used this forum so much to help me out.
Just fyi:
I studied for about 2.5 weeks, I used First Aid and USMLEWORLD plus that CD that came when you registered.
The test is 2 days and 8 hours per day alotted although you may not use the entire time. The first day is 7 blocks of 48 questions for which you are given 1 hour per block. The second day consisted of 4 additional blocks of 36 questions for which I had 45 minutes to complete. Then that was followed by 9 clinical scenarios for which you have 25 minutes per scenario.
I felt the test was about 50% general questions. These questions are the typical what would you do next, what is your treatment or diagnostic approach type questions in the basic fields covered by Step III. These questions are the ones that if you study a review book and do questions, you will improve.
The remaining half I thought was divided into about 35% specialty specific questions and 15% bizarre questions. The specialty specific questions were questions that are far more detailed then one would expect from the Step III and asked your management of things that are specific to fields like dermatology, pediatrics, OB/GYN, ENT, ophthalmology, psychiatry, etc. I felt the best way to describe this type of question is that in order to answer it, you either have to be in that field or remember it from your MS-II or MS-III year. Outside of that, I felt that no amount of studying books or doing question would adequately cover the variability and detail of these types of questions.
The remaining 15% were weird questions that I felt had no place on a USMLE exam. Questions like which relative lesbians who wanted to get pregnant should obtain their sperm, treating a patient with radiation spill toxicity, or near impossible ethical dilemmas with even odder answer choices. Some were photographs of things that I had no idea what they were even asking and some were things like what you should tell a parent about a child with "X" disease when you don't even know what the disease is, but are just presented with vague sx.
Overall, I dont think you are expected to get all of these questions right anyways. The questions are all pretty much presented in the same formats. They started with a chief complaint and a brief HPI. Then they include a scant PMH/PSH, a list of their medications or allergies, then something about their exam, possibly some labs and any other information/detractors that they want to put in. The actual question may have little to do with the stem at all in a couple of questions. The questions were primarily a what would you do next type of thing and usually referred to what diagnostic test or what treatment plan you would do next.
The CSS section wasn't bad at all. Most of the cases were pretty easy and declared themselves relatively quickly as to what they had.
Here's what I had:
1. Acute MI
2. EtOH/Benzo overdose
3. Vascular claudication
4. Simple UTI
5. Post-op atelectasis*
6. Pyloric Stenosis in a 4 week old
7. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
8. Vulvar cancer*
9. Aortic Dissection (that came into the office c/o heartburn)*
* - the only ones that were remotely tricky and were presented in a way to try to mislead you to another dx
Overall, I thought the test was more specific than I was anticipating. The old 2 months, 2 weeks, #2 pencil/2 days adage didn't really seem appropriate. I felt I would have been grossly underprepared had I not done the USMLEWORLD questions. First aid was semi-helpful but best for the clinical cases it has in the back. Anyways, since 95% of people pass their first attempt, I am assuming that you don't need to answer everything right anyways.
Hope this was somewhat informative. Best of luck to you all who still have to take it. I'll get my scores back in about 3-4 weeks.
Just fyi:
I studied for about 2.5 weeks, I used First Aid and USMLEWORLD plus that CD that came when you registered.
The test is 2 days and 8 hours per day alotted although you may not use the entire time. The first day is 7 blocks of 48 questions for which you are given 1 hour per block. The second day consisted of 4 additional blocks of 36 questions for which I had 45 minutes to complete. Then that was followed by 9 clinical scenarios for which you have 25 minutes per scenario.
I felt the test was about 50% general questions. These questions are the typical what would you do next, what is your treatment or diagnostic approach type questions in the basic fields covered by Step III. These questions are the ones that if you study a review book and do questions, you will improve.
The remaining half I thought was divided into about 35% specialty specific questions and 15% bizarre questions. The specialty specific questions were questions that are far more detailed then one would expect from the Step III and asked your management of things that are specific to fields like dermatology, pediatrics, OB/GYN, ENT, ophthalmology, psychiatry, etc. I felt the best way to describe this type of question is that in order to answer it, you either have to be in that field or remember it from your MS-II or MS-III year. Outside of that, I felt that no amount of studying books or doing question would adequately cover the variability and detail of these types of questions.
The remaining 15% were weird questions that I felt had no place on a USMLE exam. Questions like which relative lesbians who wanted to get pregnant should obtain their sperm, treating a patient with radiation spill toxicity, or near impossible ethical dilemmas with even odder answer choices. Some were photographs of things that I had no idea what they were even asking and some were things like what you should tell a parent about a child with "X" disease when you don't even know what the disease is, but are just presented with vague sx.
Overall, I dont think you are expected to get all of these questions right anyways. The questions are all pretty much presented in the same formats. They started with a chief complaint and a brief HPI. Then they include a scant PMH/PSH, a list of their medications or allergies, then something about their exam, possibly some labs and any other information/detractors that they want to put in. The actual question may have little to do with the stem at all in a couple of questions. The questions were primarily a what would you do next type of thing and usually referred to what diagnostic test or what treatment plan you would do next.
The CSS section wasn't bad at all. Most of the cases were pretty easy and declared themselves relatively quickly as to what they had.
Here's what I had:
1. Acute MI
2. EtOH/Benzo overdose
3. Vascular claudication
4. Simple UTI
5. Post-op atelectasis*
6. Pyloric Stenosis in a 4 week old
7. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
8. Vulvar cancer*
9. Aortic Dissection (that came into the office c/o heartburn)*
* - the only ones that were remotely tricky and were presented in a way to try to mislead you to another dx
Overall, I thought the test was more specific than I was anticipating. The old 2 months, 2 weeks, #2 pencil/2 days adage didn't really seem appropriate. I felt I would have been grossly underprepared had I not done the USMLEWORLD questions. First aid was semi-helpful but best for the clinical cases it has in the back. Anyways, since 95% of people pass their first attempt, I am assuming that you don't need to answer everything right anyways.
Hope this was somewhat informative. Best of luck to you all who still have to take it. I'll get my scores back in about 3-4 weeks.
