The first day was loooooong. Seven one-hour blocks. Really wears on you. My brain wanted to shut off after 4 blocks. About 6 of my blocks were of moderate difficulty. One of blocks was ridiculously hard. Too much dermatology for my liking.
The second day was much, much better. The blocks were definitely a lot easier.
The cases were easy. Actually enjoyed doing this part of the exam. I got 7 of the 9 cases to end early, after about 10 minutes of "real time." The cases I got were pregnancy (presenting as ammenorrhea), subarachnoid hemmorhage, DKA, bacterial sinusitis, acute endocardidits, stable angina, colon cancer, a 65-year old "check-up" visit, and dementia work-up.
Got about 50% cumulative on USMLEworld (tutor mode), and got a 450 on NBME one week before.
Overall not that bad, but definitely a test you need to study for. I don't see how anyone could simply walk in without studying at all. I know a surgery resident who made >220 on Step 1 and 2 who didn't study at all for Step 3 and failed it.
The second day was much, much better. The blocks were definitely a lot easier.
The cases were easy. Actually enjoyed doing this part of the exam. I got 7 of the 9 cases to end early, after about 10 minutes of "real time." The cases I got were pregnancy (presenting as ammenorrhea), subarachnoid hemmorhage, DKA, bacterial sinusitis, acute endocardidits, stable angina, colon cancer, a 65-year old "check-up" visit, and dementia work-up.
Got about 50% cumulative on USMLEworld (tutor mode), and got a 450 on NBME one week before.
Overall not that bad, but definitely a test you need to study for. I don't see how anyone could simply walk in without studying at all. I know a surgery resident who made >220 on Step 1 and 2 who didn't study at all for Step 3 and failed it.
