step 3 question for the ca-1's

[xjohns1]

i'm doing my prelim year now and am thinking ahead to taking step 3 before starting my ca-1 year in july. i'm trying to plan when to take it and would like to hear about others' strategies (esp current ca-1's) for step 3. specifically, what did you use to study (which books, kaplan q bank?), did you take any dedicated study time (study during a vacation or after prelim year before ca-1 year started), any general advice for studying for a medicine prelim intern? thanks very much in advance.

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[VentdependenT]

I didn't take USMLE step III just the COMLEX but the materials are the same.

Strong Medicine (best resource)
Crush Step II (same info as crush step III, plus it had all my notes in it)
High yeild obgyn
NMS step III (not nearly as painful as nms step I and II)


I did about a 4 day cram fest before the test.
other than that it was just leisure studying for about a month (an hour a day or something like that with a couple o hours on the weekend).

There is q-book which i thought sucked.
Lots of folks used usmle world and said it was useful.
I had swansons but never cracked it.

 

[MAC10]

I only used Kaplan q-bank. Studied questions and answers for 4 weeks off and on. Medicine and Surg intern rotations also helped alot b/c step 3 is heavy on pt management ie whats your next step. I also know some other interns that were doing USMLE world and they thought it was a good resource. Also be sure to do the practice clinical cases on the CD they send you, those are easy points if you know how to use the software ahead of time.

 

[IceDoc]

First of all, smart move taking the test during internship. Much of the material is Gyn/peds/OB/Gyn/office IM/Gyn that you'll be thinking back to med school.

I studied during a Radi-holiday elective and took the test at the end of the month. Used only First Aid...not too bad for step 3. But if you didn't like First Aid for step I or II you won't like it for 3.

And regardless of how much you study, you won't know how you do on the clinical management questions, and you'll pass nonetheless.

 

[usnavdoc]

I was a gen surg intern so I didnt get all the outpt and ob exposure, but all I read was boards and wards and went through first aid once and made the same score that I made on step 2.

I wouldnt stress too much on this. Just go through something and get it over with.

Do they even look at those things for fellowship applications? I would think that is more about your residency history and inservice exams. As well as LORs and PD recs.

 

[serenity]

I was a gen surg intern so I didnt get all the outpt and ob exposure, but all I read was boards and wards and went through first aid once and made the same score that I made on step 2.

I wouldnt stress too much on this. Just go through something and get it over with.

Do they even look at those things for fellowship applications? I would think that is more about your residency history and inservice exams. As well as LORs and PD recs.

I was also worried about the fellowship angle,does performance in Step 3 affect one's chances in obtaining a competitive anesthesiology fellowship?

 

[nchhabra]

man i spent a lot less time studying than some of the other posters. i read crush for step 3 once all the way through and re-read peds and psych, since i felt they were my weakest rotations in med school. i also did the cd that they send to practice the clinical cases. i took it fairly early in my intern year. all in all i think i read for 1 hour a day for about 10 days. i didnt do well by any means, but passed easily.