I'm an IMG and have a few months off between now and starting residency (hypothetically). Is it better to study for and take Step 3 now or wait until I've done a few months of wards so that my clinical reasoning is better?
Take Step 3 now?
- Thread starter arielred
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The latter.
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Having recently passed step 3 I would say internship is invaluable. It is not really a test of clinical knowledge like step 2 and much more about sequential management which you get through experience and not by reading books or simply doing questions.
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Ok, i did pretty well om Step2 (258, or 6, i dont remember). I used that knowledge plus a 2 weeks on Uworld during electives in the start of my residency (no wards for 2 months) and i got a 232 on Step3. Since you are IMG, you likely just studied for Step 2. If you did, and did well, I would take it now.
If you haven't, or there's been some time in between, or you didnt do that great on Step 2, I would hold off. As the above poster has said, the time spent on wards can really make a big difference. Unfortunately, where it gives strength in whatever field you are in, it induces weakness in the others (OB/GYN and PEds get farther and farther away the longer residency goes), so there is a balance that needs to be struck: clinical experience with what you want to do for you life versus all the other stuff you have to know for the step 3 that you aren't covering in your residency.
