Step 3 Experience from usmleforum

* Step 3 Experience - i will miss the USMLE
#467994
delmar - 12/03/09 07:11

exam: nov 9/10
result: dec 1 midnight (dec 2 @12 am)
Score: 250 -99
not in residency
prep : 4 months

TIPS:
1- step 3 does not ask the depth of medicine as much as the width of knoweldge
it tests u as a primary care giver, focusing on answering real questions that u will get from patients, no single book has this information

2- exam questions are long, practice under pressure, u should anticepate what the question will ask u by the 2nd line

3- focus on advice to the patients, side effects of meds, interactions, peds and rashes, obgyn = what a PCP knows, they will not ask sofistacted question, but the simpler the fact, the more likely u'll get it wrong

4- read a family practice book or questions

5- dont let the anxiety of other froum members to reflect on you

6- if u plan to take NBME, UWSA , take them at least 2 weeks before the exam or earlier to have the time to work on ur weak areas

7- they are not designed to foretell or predict ur score, that is a misuse and dangerous, the only help u see ur weak areas.

8- no single material source is perfect, live with that.

9- CCS, take care not to do the same stuff too much, u will have a predetermined path to the case and that might be very dangerous.

10- while studying topics, write ur ccs plan for each topic even if it is not likely to come, by this u will do at least 1000 ccs in the same time ur doing mcqs, the big plus, ur going to be a better doctor

11- material i used: due to the problems on this forum i will not advise either with or against any material, just FYI ; nothing is complete

Good luck