When to take Step 3?

[chaucer]

Hey all -

Any tips regarding the timing of taking Step 3? Currently an MS4 with relatively little to do until graduation, but I see that you need to have the MD before you can even register for the exam.

Do most of you take it during PGY-1 (elective months?)? I assume it's better to take it then than during the CA years. Are there many (any?) programs that will pay for it??

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[MCYan]

From what I can recall on my interview trial, only 10-20% of programs will pay for your step 3. Most places suggest taking it during intern year. I think some states require you to have 6 months of real clinical experiences (6 mo into intern year) before you can take step 3.

 

[jamba1984]

From what I can recall on my interview trial, only 10-20% of programs will pay for your step 3. Most places suggest taking it during intern year. I think some states require you to have 6 months of real clinical experiences (6 mo into intern year) before you can take step 3.

You can register for it the day of your graduation from med school. Takes about 6 weeks for them to check out if you graduated etc.

You don't have to have any time of clinical experience when you take it if you just sign up to take it under certain states (Delaware, Connecticut etc). Even if you sign up under those states you can still take it anywhere in country.

To take it before intern year starts may be difficult as by the time you get back permission to sign up would be mid june at earliest (depending on your graduation date) but maybe prometric site could have opening within 1 week.

 

[rsgillmd]

You can register for it the day of your graduation from med school. Takes about 6 weeks for them to check out if you graduated etc.

You don't have to have any time of clinical experience when you take it if you just sign up to take it under certain states (Delaware, Connecticut etc). Even if you sign up under those states you can still take it anywhere in country.

To take it before intern year starts may be difficult as by the time you get back permission to sign up would be mid june at earliest (depending on your graduation date) but maybe prometric site could have opening within 1 week.

The above post is dead on. I tried to take it June but it ended up conflicting with orientation, so I ended up taking in September of my PGY-1 year. I paid my money to Connecticut and took the test in NJ. Take it as early as possible so you can focus on anesthesia when you start your residency. Most anesthesia programs that I know of are requiring people to pass it by sometime in their CA-1 year. At my program it was by the end of December of the CA-1 year.

It's funny how life works sometimes. The one test that the score doesn't matter (as long as you pass), I did the best on.

 

[lfesiam]

The above post is dead on. I tried to take it June but it ended up conflicting with orientation, so I ended up taking in September of my PGY-1 year. I paid my money to Connecticut and took the test in NJ. Take it as early as possible so you can focus on anesthesia when you start your residency. Most anesthesia programs that I know of are requiring people to pass it by sometime in their CA-1 year. At my program it was by the end of December of the CA-1 year.

It's funny how life works sometimes. The one test that the score doesn't matter (as long as you pass), I did the best on.

I just took mine last week. My program required us to pass it before CA1 year.

1 month of 2-3 hours/day studying. (30mins s/p waking up, 10-15mins here and there during the day, 2 hours in PM).

Did all of USMLE World questions x 1. Wrong question Bank x 1. and Marked question bank during the last week. Did all of USMLE World CCS simulation. Read CRUSH STEP 3 + CCS part of First Aid. + Did the practice exam you can buy for $45 on the NBME website.

HI YEILD STUDYING IS KEY. Focus on your weaknesses, for me it was OB and PEDs.

Don't forget that on your 2nd day, you still got 4 blocks of questions in the AM to do before moving on to 9 CCS cases in the PM!

STUDY MATERIAL:
USMLEWORLD 1 month subscription
USED FIRST AID STEP 3 (only the Hi yield info in the back - CCS 100 cases)
USED CRUSH STEP 3
NBME practice exam

 

[proman]

Way overkill. I studied 2 days for Step 3 (meaning I did questions in peds for 2 hours one day and OB for another 2 hours for the other day). Scored the highest of the 3 steps. Remember, a lot of people take this test post call so if you avoid that you're ahead of the game.

 

[lfesiam]

Way overkill. I studied 2 days for Step 3 (meaning I did questions in peds for 2 hours one day and OB for another 2 hours for the other day). Scored the highest of the 3 steps. Remember, a lot of people take this test post call so if you avoid that you're ahead of the game.

I didn't want to take chances. :0) nor spend more $$$$ to retake the exam. Would rather be over-prepared than under-prepared.

Proman is right, DO NOT take the exam post call day.

But overall the exam is the easiest among the steps.

 

[pillowhead]

I took it a few months into my CA1 year. I had intern year (transitional) under my belt to remind me of those pesky things like peds, EM, and primary care. But I'd also had a few months of anesthesia by that point so felt comfortable taking a couple of weeks away from my anesthesia reading. I purely did questions--Kaplan Qbook (finished it) and USMLEWorld qbank (did about half) and spent time reviewing the answers of stuff I didn't know in first aid step 3 (not the greatest book but okay and has some CCS stuff at the back to review). Spend some time reviewing the CCS stuff online.

Overall, Step 3 was my lowest score but still above the national average. (Step 2 was my highest, step 1 in between). However, I spent far far less time studying for step 3, and really, just didn't care that much. Just get it done and over with Don't completely blow it off b/c failing a step will follow you around for the rest of your professional life. No need to score 260, but still.

 

[Arch Guillotti]

I would take it as soon as you can. I would not want to be messing with studying for it when you are busy being an anesthesia resident and trying to read a lot. I know the old adage and that most people don't study too much for it, but I personally would not blow it off. I studied for a few weeks/maybe a month for a couple of hours a a time. Mostly did questions and crush. Did fine.

 

[veetz]

I took Step 3 during the spring on my intern year, during an elective month. This worked well, as the things I learned as a medicine intern helped immensely for Step 3. Definitely get it DONE before beginning CA-1 year so, like others have said, you can focus solely on anesthesia.

There are several CA-1 residents in my program who recently took Step 3. The study time they used for it could have gone for preparing for the ITE coming up in March.

 

[chaucer]

Anybody with input on the time it takes between submitting a Step 3 application and the start of the eligibility period? Does it depend on the state you apply through? I see that we can't select that eligibility period, but are instead assigned a 90 day window.

I'm planning to take it in November, when I have an easier elective month. I don't want to submit too early, have my window end in September, and have to pay to extend it, nor submit too late and miss my target month completely.

Hearing about any recent experiences would be helpful--thanks!

 

[lord_jeebus]

I took it at the end of an Emergency rotation and basically didn't need any prep at all - between the real emergencies and the basic "urgent care" crap, I saw pretty much everything that Step 3 covers. I just spent a day with Crush reviewing peds milestones and similar useless facts.

 

[radiodoc99]

Spring of intern year. When you are not on call.

 

[Gimlet]

Anybody with input on the time it takes between submitting a Step 3 application and the start of the eligibility period? Does it depend on the state you apply through? I see that we can't select that eligibility period, but are instead assigned a 90 day window.

I'm planning to take it in November, when I have an easier elective month. I don't want to submit too early, have my window end in September, and have to pay to extend it, nor submit too late and miss my target month completely.

Hearing about any recent experiences would be helpful--thanks!

I went through the state of Connecticut since my state requires waiting until completion of an internship to sit for the exam. I think I had my test date within 2-3 weeks of submitting all the required paperwork. All in all, it was much less of a hassle to get it scheduled than I was imagining when I was procrastinating on it.

Did about 2/3rds of USMLE World questions, half of the UW CCS cases, and glanced at the high yield cases in First Aid, mostly in the week before the test. Passed just fine, but did drop about 25 points from my step 1/2 scores.

 

[Ashers]

I went through the state of Connecticut since my state requires waiting until completion of an internship to sit for the exam. I think I had my test date within 2-3 weeks of submitting all the required paperwork. All in all, it was much less of a hassle to get it scheduled than I was imagining when I was procrastinating on it.

Did about 2/3rds of USMLE World questions, half of the UW CCS cases, and glanced at the high yield cases in First Aid, mostly in the week before the test. Passed just fine, but did drop about 25 points from my step 1/2 scores.

Agree with Gimlet. I sent in my info in the beginning of January, and my eligibility period was from Jan-May. I took it in March, and dates were already starting to fill up.

I went through CT as well. I got through almost all of the UW Qs, read FA for Step 3 (relatively useless -- if you had FA for CK, it's better), and did some of the UW cases. My score took a big hit... I guess the harder I think the test is, the worse I do. I walked out thinking I failed this one.

Oh, and if your intern year involves medicine you'll be much more prepared. I did all that preparation because I did a peds intern year, and I haven't seen an adult patient for >1y.

 

[G-Man82]

I went through the state of Connecticut since my state requires waiting until completion of an internship to sit for the exam. I think I had my test date within 2-3 weeks of submitting all the required paperwork. All in all, it was much less of a hassle to get it scheduled than I was imagining when I was procrastinating on it.

Did about 2/3rds of USMLE World questions, half of the UW CCS cases, and glanced at the high yield cases in First Aid, mostly in the week before the test. Passed just fine, but did drop about 25 points from my step 1/2 scores.

If you register with the State of CT, do you actually have to take the test in CT? Or with the advent of computerized testing, can I still stay in my state?

 

[Ashers]

If you register with the State of CT, do you actually have to take the test in CT? Or with the advent of computerized testing, can I still stay in my state?

You can take it in any Prometric location. It's the benefit of this stupid loophole. You just have to register through some state. I believe you can also register through NV and CA, since they treat the exam like CT, but CT has the best reputation among residents at my institution for being fast.

 

[MTGas2B]

Agree with above. Get it done in your intern year. In my residency program every now and then we would have some R4 who hadn't gotten around to it, and guess what happens when you try and register for your your boards without an unrestricted medical license? You have to have a full license by 30 November of the year you take boards. Just makes life a lot easier if its out of the way.



As far as studying, what was that old saying about studying for boards?
Step 1: study for 2 months
Step 2: study for 2 weeks
Step 3: show up with a #2 pencil