Step III before residency?

[gutonc]

I finished school last July (I'm an IMG) and finished a job at the end of February and would have had a few months with nothing to do before residency starts. I did have fun and did things I enjoy but I'm also a little restless and get bored easily so I needed something to stay busy. I just got my scores back last week after taking it in early/mid-May and studying for a solid 2 months and did well on it. I took it for that reason and because I'm going into peds and didn't want to forget everything else after already being a year out from step 2, and also because I know myself and there's no way I'd be motivated to study after working all day. I'd rather use my time after work to work out, play guitar, cook, or generally relax. Whether or not to take it depends on a lot of factors but based on what residents in peds told me, if you're motivated to do it sooner I'd say just get it out of the way early.

That's all well and good, but the OP was asking if s/he should use the 4-6 weeks between med school graduation in May, and residency starting in June, to study for and take the exam. And that answer is an emphatic NO.

If you've got a year to kill though, sure, go for it.

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[Oso]

Wow, I remember when I briefly entertained the idea of studying for and taking step 3 between graduation and starting peds residency.

Seems absolutely crazy now.

I spend 5 minutes doing some required online module with a 3 question quiz at the end and am left exhausted with no motivation, do nothing for the rest of the day, and end up leaving the next module for the following day/week. Absolutely no way in hell I could have actually studied for step during this time.

 

[flightnurse2MD]

I just took it a few days ago and will be starting orientation next week before intern year ramps up this July. I got UW qbank back in Jan of this year and budgeting my time to do 10-15 questions per day. Wrote anki flashcard notes and finished the qbank by mid-May. Spent 2 weeks reviewing notes, biostats, and getting familiar with the CCS set-up before the actual exam. 2 peds residents took theirs along with me and they were at the end of their 2nd year of residency. How annoying would that be?!

 

[Redpancreas]

Just to provide my assessment of what’s already been said:

1. Most SDN regulars are saying it’s a good idea to wait until internship for various reasons.

2. I don’t care what people say. Step 3 probably matters and I’m thinking of a competitive IM fellowship so I’m not about to take any chances of getting screened out. Derm/Rads residents can do whatever they want for all I care.

3. There’s plenty of time during intern year to study and most people on here have said they’ve been able to have time.

4. Lastly, from my experience, I tend to do better on tests when I’m immersed in school/training as opposed to breaks.