Got my step 3 score

[Bazinga1983]

Failed. 185 to 175..

https://postimg.org/image/nbyhatn9p/

This incompetency and feeling of utter humiliation and disappointment despite prioritizing this exam over everything and everyone to put MYSELF in the best possible situation to do well and to put an end to this chapter so that I can finally start feeling good and not be reminded of my inadequacy is just---demoralizing to put it mildly. I mean why this and me?

I did not take this test lightly because I never do and doing so would be an injustice to myself especially because there is so much at stake. I am almost 30 and have nothing to show for my hard work. See, I was one of those kids in high school who took all the advanced placement classes and took various courses at community college while being in high school. Had multiple jobs in high school and undergraduate years. After not getting into medical school right away, spent 1 year at a postbac program (major waste) and then 1 year pursuing a masters in biochemistry before starting medical school.

More importantly, parents have always encouraged to never shy away from pushing yourself and always try to do better. Got an A? Why not an A+? I guess that is the price you pay for being raised in a military family where education was a priority, and everything else can go to hell.

As I have said, this feeling and perception of incompetency is a real stinger. Seeing disappointed faces of well-educated parents who are pushing 70 and still working 80 hours a week working minimal wage job is just heartbreaking. Now there is absolutely nothing wrong with minimum paying job because it is an honest living, but it is quite a precipitous fall from working as an Anesthesiologist, Department Chair who was often consulted on various complicated cases throughout the country. I see their pain even though they do not say it. Maybe I am trying too hard to do well? Maybe I need to be more nonchalant about my prep.

I have never been more disappointed in my life. For once, I would like my hard work to pay off. I could have used a win to end this chapter of 2-year misery. I have no obligation and definitely no financial obligation. Not required to work or support a family. Have all the comforts of life and place to live, heat, food etc. And one thing that is required of me, for my own benefit, I cannot even do that. Shame!

I know many of you here will see this as silly and yes, this person is intellectually challenged. Maybe you right, so feel free to do so because I cannot be more embarrassed. This is not possible.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Bazinga1983]

Forgot to mention. Applied this year so not in residency yet.

 

[BnL]

Forgot to mention. Applied this year so not in residency yet.

I am very sorry about your failure. I cannot even imagine how you feel.Been following your post for a while and even looked closely at your first performance profile to get some idea how the exam is scored...I salute your courage seeking for help on forums. Honestly, I feel you're a determined person and will achieve your goals despite any setback.
My advice would be to take a short break to get your head cleared. Thereafter try again without any pressure of passing or any deadline to take the exam .I passed on my first try, did not do any nbme or use to many resources but I understood the tested content very very well and to the smallest detail.

 

[Instatewaiter]

Failed. 185 to 175..

https://postimg.org/image/nbyhatn9p/

This incompetency and feeling of utter humiliation and disappointment despite prioritizing this exam over everything and everyone to put MYSELF in the best possible situation to do well and to put an end to this chapter so that I can finally start feeling good and not be reminded of my inadequacy is just---demoralizing to put it mildly. I mean why this and me?

I did not take this test lightly because I never do and doing so would be an injustice to myself especially because there is so much at stake. I am almost 30 and have nothing to show for my hard work. See, I was one of those kids in high school who took all the advanced placement classes and took various courses at community college while being in high school. Had multiple jobs in high school and undergraduate years. After not getting into medical school right away, spent 1 year at a postbac program (major waste) and then 1 year pursuing a masters in biochemistry before starting medical school.

More importantly, parents have always encouraged to never shy away from pushing yourself and always try to do better. Got an A? Why not an A+? I guess that is the price you pay for being raised in a military family where education was a priority, and everything else can go to hell.

As I have said, this feeling and perception of incompetency is a real stinger. Seeing disappointed faces of well-educated parents who are pushing 70 and still working 80 hours a week working minimal wage job is just heartbreaking. Now there is absolutely nothing wrong with minimum paying job because it is an honest living, but it is quite a precipitous fall from working as an Anesthesiologist, Department Chair who was often consulted on various complicated cases throughout the country. I see their pain even though they do not say it. Maybe I am trying too hard to do well? Maybe I need to be more nonchalant about my prep.

I have never been more disappointed in my life. For once, I would like my hard work to pay off. I could have used a win to end this chapter of 2-year misery. I have no obligation and definitely no financial obligation. Not required to work or support a family. Have all the comforts of life and place to live, heat, food etc. And one thing that is required of me, for my own benefit, I cannot even do that. Shame!

I know many of you here will see this as silly and yes, this person is intellectually challenged. Maybe you right, so feel free to do so because I cannot be more embarrassed. This is not possible.

Why are you taking step 3 without having started residency? Many states will not allow you to practice if you ahve failed step 3 three times. Make the next one count.

Have you failed any other steps?

 

[playingfrombehind]

Failed. 185 to 175..

https://postimg.org/image/nbyhatn9p/

This incompetency and feeling of utter humiliation and disappointment despite prioritizing this exam over everything and everyone to put MYSELF in the best possible situation to do well and to put an end to this chapter so that I can finally start feeling good and not be reminded of my inadequacy is just---demoralizing to put it mildly. I mean why this and me?

I did not take this test lightly because I never do and doing so would be an injustice to myself especially because there is so much at stake. I am almost 30 and have nothing to show for my hard work. See, I was one of those kids in high school who took all the advanced placement classes and took various courses at community college while being in high school. Had multiple jobs in high school and undergraduate years. After not getting into medical school right away, spent 1 year at a postbac program (major waste) and then 1 year pursuing a masters in biochemistry before starting medical school.

More importantly, parents have always encouraged to never shy away from pushing yourself and always try to do better. Got an A? Why not an A+? I guess that is the price you pay for being raised in a military family where education was a priority, and everything else can go to hell.

As I have said, this feeling and perception of incompetency is a real stinger. Seeing disappointed faces of well-educated parents who are pushing 70 and still working 80 hours a week working minimal wage job is just heartbreaking. Now there is absolutely nothing wrong with minimum paying job because it is an honest living, but it is quite a precipitous fall from working as an Anesthesiologist, Department Chair who was often consulted on various complicated cases throughout the country. I see their pain even though they do not say it. Maybe I am trying too hard to do well? Maybe I need to be more nonchalant about my prep.

I have never been more disappointed in my life. For once, I would like my hard work to pay off. I could have used a win to end this chapter of 2-year misery. I have no obligation and definitely no financial obligation. Not required to work or support a family. Have all the comforts of life and place to live, heat, food etc. And one thing that is required of me, for my own benefit, I cannot even do that. Shame!

I know many of you here will see this as silly and yes, this person is intellectually challenged. Maybe you right, so feel free to do so because I cannot be more embarrassed. This is not possible.

Sorry to hear you failed. Here is some advice.

1) you need to seek help from someone who just passed step 3 for better advice and approach - failure x 2 = serious issues that need to be addressed.

2) BARE MINIMUM
-UWORLD step 3 qbank
-UWORLD step 3 CCS qbank
-Crush Step 3 CCS
-Kaplan qbank
-biostats - UWORLD step 1,2,3 + UWORLD supplement + any other biostat qbank questions you can get your hands on
-First Aid Step 1 behavioral science (biostats)
-highest yield subjects: biostats and step 3 CCS IMO are the highest yield portion of the exam - least amount of material for most gains
-as you already know you need a deep understanding of biostats to pass biostats portion
+/- MTB-3 - do UWORLD first then go read corresponding topic in MTB-3. Do NOT read MTB cover to cover.
+/- UWORLD step 2 CK


-there are ways to get all above resources for free- wink wink.

I am currently a resident from USMD school and I would say I'm pretty average intellect, failed Step 1, mediocore Step 2 scores, and mediocore step 3 score. I am by no means a genius but I was able to pass step 3 with a disciplined/cerebral approach. So if I was able to pass I'm sure anyone would be able to pass.

IMO residency really only helps the CCS portion. I would say in some cases taking step 3 during residency can definitely hurt the MCQ portion - i.e. if you aren't in peds/OBGYN/psych, etc. Also which residency program gives you more than a week or two of dedicated studying time (none that I know of) and which residency programs have regular review of biostats (which is a major portion of step 3 now)

So I advocate taking step 3 prior to residency - you might need extra practice on CCS and may struggle on CCS but there are more than enough resources to get you up to speed.

USMLE IMO never really correlates to clinical practice. It helps with random knowledge but treating a patient from history to A/P to discharging them out of the hosptial is a different skill than just answering step questions

 

[lesch_nyhan]

.

 

[Bazinga1983]

Why are you taking step 3 without having started residency? Many states will not allow you to practice if you ahve failed step 3 three times. Make the next one count.

Have you failed any other steps?

Yea, i did look at all the states and their requirements regarding licensure. Most states stated 3 attempts on step 3 and there were few like alaska, wisconsin, texas etc that said less than 3 attempts on step 3. There were also other states (tri state - NY, NJ, CT and even PA) that had no limits. I am not planning to take step 3 before residency. Probably will take it some time during residency because CCS is really sucking for me despite using different resources for CCS from first attempt to second attempt (used archer). So there is some sort of disconnect between archer/uw ccs and my understanding of case management. Perhaps, even tutoring just for CCS portion. Either way, going to wait to take CCS since can't fail again.

 

[Bazinga1983]

Sorry to hear you failed. Here is some advice.

1) you need to seek help from someone who just passed step 3 for better advice and approach - failure x 2 = serious issues that need to be addressed.

2) BARE MINIMUM
-UWORLD step 3 qbank
-UWORLD step 3 CCS qbank
-Crush Step 3 CCS
-Kaplan qbank
-biostats - UWORLD step 1,2,3 + UWORLD supplement + any other biostat qbank questions you can get your hands on
-First Aid Step 1 behavioral science (biostats)
-highest yield subjects: biostats and step 3 CCS IMO are the highest yield portion of the exam - least amount of material for most gains
-as you already know you need a deep understanding of biostats to pass biostats portion
+/- MTB-3 - do UWORLD first then go read corresponding topic in MTB-3. Do NOT read MTB cover to cover.
+/- UWORLD step 2 CK


-there are ways to get all above resources for free- wink wink.

I am currently a resident from USMD school and I would say I'm pretty average intellect, failed Step 1, mediocore Step 2 scores, and mediocore step 3 score. I am by no means a genius but I was able to pass step 3 with a disciplined/cerebral approach. So if I was able to pass I'm sure anyone would be able to pass.

IMO residency really only helps the CCS portion. I would say in some cases taking step 3 during residency can definitely hurt the MCQ portion - i.e. if you aren't in peds/OBGYN/psych, etc. Also which residency program gives you more than a week or two of dedicated studying time (none that I know of) and which residency programs have regular review of biostats (which is a major portion of step 3 now)

So I advocate taking step 3 prior to residency - you might need extra practice on CCS and may struggle on CCS but there are more than enough resources to get you up to speed.

USMLE IMO never really correlates to clinical practice. It helps with random knowledge but treating a patient from history to A/P to discharging them out of the hosptial is a different skill than just answering step questions

Yea, i totally agree with everything you wrote. Unfortunately, i did use all of the resources that you mentioned above. Hopefully, ill match this year. As far as when to re take step 3, i am not sure. But you are absolutely correct about lack of time to prepare during residency and that was the driving force behind trying to take this and be done with it. I am surprised that my CCS actually worsened during 2nd attempt despite feeling more prepared for CCS. Used archer videos during second attempt and felt that i made a lot of mistakes during my 1st attempt as far as ccs is concerned so felt confident that my CCS will improve but it didn't.

It's disappointing to say the least. You mentioned various sources above

1) UW question bank - did it multiple times during both attempts along with making flash cards/notes to avoid passive learning.
2) UW CCS question bank - used it during both attempts
3) Crush ccs - used it sparingly during both attempts
4) **********- used it heavily during 2nd attempt.
5) Kaplan question bank - went through it once during 2nd attempt preparation
6) Biostats UW step 1, step 2, step 3 AND uw biostat course - used it during first attempt. During 2nd attempt used it less but went over all of my biostat notes created during first attempt preparations along with doing less biostat questions during and attempt.
7) First aid step 1 biostats - i skimmed it but it wasn't anything different than UW biostats.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
So as you can see, i pretty much did everything. Ideally, i would like to take step 3 before starting residency but with 2 failures, i am not brave enough anymore to risk it again. So retaking will depend on how the match goes. If i match, i will probably take it few weeks or month into residency. I am starting to prepare again for this test so hopefully maximizing next few months along with learning ccs management by managing patients daily can help with ccs portion to propel myself above the 196 mark. I used all the ccs resources mentioned but i performed slightly worse than first attempt which is very surprising considering how confident i felt after using ********** during 2nd attempt. So perhaps there is some disconnect between reading/practicing cases with UW/archer and my integration/understanding of case management. Perhaps, it has to be pointed out to me like a 2 year old. I am not sure. Perhaps, utilizing tutoring for CCS portion can help? Anyway, don't have another $900 to waste. Also, according to USMLE website anyone who takes step 3 starting Jan 18th, 2017 - April 29th, 2017 will get their score in mid may, 2017 so there is no point in me taking the test before that.

Brainstorming:

1. Probably going to use either step up to medicine + MTB 3 for non medicine sections to build/re learn/review fundamentals or perhaps use Kaplan step 2 CK lecture notes. They can provide sufficient fundamental review to aid in ironing out disconnect.

2. Already got free UW step 2 CK question back. Going to run though that because need to reinforce step up to med or kaplan ck lecture notes. Plus, UW step 3 sucks in pediatrics, obgyn, psych. That's where step 2 ck uw can help plus solid review of Internal medicine.

3) Going to use UW step 3 question bank, UW step 3 ccs cases along with archer + crush ccs. But hopefully residency can help in this department.

4) Going to do Step 2 NBMEs + Clinical mastery series nbme's.



Summary: I think step up to medicine or kaplan ck lectures notes + UW step 2 questions + NBME's + UW step 3 question bank should help in improving MCQs and improving overall medicine knowledge. For CCS, private tutoring and or residency daily grind can help.

Anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. Thank you!

 

[Bazinga1983]

Sorry to hear you failed. Here is some advice.

1) you need to seek help from someone who just passed step 3 for better advice and approach - failure x 2 = serious issues that need to be addressed.

2) BARE MINIMUM
-UWORLD step 3 qbank
-UWORLD step 3 CCS qbank
-Crush Step 3 CCS
-Kaplan qbank
-biostats - UWORLD step 1,2,3 + UWORLD supplement + any other biostat qbank questions you can get your hands on
-First Aid Step 1 behavioral science (biostats)
-highest yield subjects: biostats and step 3 CCS IMO are the highest yield portion of the exam - least amount of material for most gains
-as you already know you need a deep understanding of biostats to pass biostats portion
+/- MTB-3 - do UWORLD first then go read corresponding topic in MTB-3. Do NOT read MTB cover to cover.
+/- UWORLD step 2 CK


-there are ways to get all above resources for free- wink wink.

I am currently a resident from USMD school and I would say I'm pretty average intellect, failed Step 1, mediocore Step 2 scores, and mediocore step 3 score. I am by no means a genius but I was able to pass step 3 with a disciplined/cerebral approach. So if I was able to pass I'm sure anyone would be able to pass.

IMO residency really only helps the CCS portion. I would say in some cases taking step 3 during residency can definitely hurt the MCQ portion - i.e. if you aren't in peds/OBGYN/psych, etc. Also which residency program gives you more than a week or two of dedicated studying time (none that I know of) and which residency programs have regular review of biostats (which is a major portion of step 3 now)

So I advocate taking step 3 prior to residency - you might need extra practice on CCS and may struggle on CCS but there are more than enough resources to get you up to speed.

USMLE IMO never really correlates to clinical practice. It helps with random knowledge but treating a patient from history to A/P to discharging them out of the hosptial is a different skill than just answering step questions

Hey,

Tried sending you a PM but didn't work. Just wrote if you have any other suggestions or need any more information regarding my preparation to aid in your suggestions for me, let me know.

Thank you for taking the time to write this.

 

[intervention]

Sorry to hear you failed. Here is some advice.

1) you need to seek help from someone who just passed step 3 for better advice and approach - failure x 2 = serious issues that need to be addressed.

2) BARE MINIMUM
-UWORLD step 3 qbank
-UWORLD step 3 CCS qbank
-Crush Step 3 CCS
-Kaplan qbank
-biostats - UWORLD step 1,2,3 + UWORLD supplement + any other biostat qbank questions you can get your hands on
-First Aid Step 1 behavioral science (biostats)
-highest yield subjects: biostats and step 3 CCS IMO are the highest yield portion of the exam - least amount of material for most gains
-as you already know you need a deep understanding of biostats to pass biostats portion
+/- MTB-3 - do UWORLD first then go read corresponding topic in MTB-3. Do NOT read MTB cover to cover.
+/- UWORLD step 2 CK


-there are ways to get all above resources for free- wink wink.

I am currently a resident from USMD school and I would say I'm pretty average intellect, failed Step 1, mediocore Step 2 scores, and mediocore step 3 score. I am by no means a genius but I was able to pass step 3 with a disciplined/cerebral approach. So if I was able to pass I'm sure anyone would be able to pass.

IMO residency really only helps the CCS portion. I would say in some cases taking step 3 during residency can definitely hurt the MCQ portion - i.e. if you aren't in peds/OBGYN/psych, etc. Also which residency program gives you more than a week or two of dedicated studying time (none that I know of) and which residency programs have regular review of biostats (which is a major portion of step 3 now)

So I advocate taking step 3 prior to residency - you might need extra practice on CCS and may struggle on CCS but there are more than enough resources to get you up to speed.

USMLE IMO never really correlates to clinical practice. It helps with random knowledge but treating a patient from history to A/P to discharging them out of the hosptial is a different skill than just answering step questions

Hi Bazinga1983, I'm really sorry to hear about your experience. Having had to repeat step 3 myself, I would strongly advise against using any more resources. In fact, I would stick to a few solid resources and focus strictly on those. If you have more time on your hands, then review one of those resources again, and again. For me, I used UWORLD QBANK, UWORLD CCS, and MTB STEP 3 (less so than the other 2). On the second attempt. which I took 14 days after finding out I failed, I simply did a hardcore review of UWORLD QBANK (as many questions as I could per day) and at least 8 cases of CCS/day. Remember, even if you passed CCS, a better performance can help compensate for worse performance on the other sections. Also, on the first attempt I randomly guessed on at least 20 questions the first day. On the second attempt, I reduced this number to 12. However, one thing I realized was not to skip the study/stat/drug trial questions, as they are often fairly easy if you read through them once. I did much better on this area on the second attempt and the slight improvement in CCS was enough to push me from a 190 to a 199. Best of luck and I know how badly it sucks having missed it once, so twice must be extremely difficult. You have made it this far, keep pushing. Wish you the best of luck.

 

[playingfrombehind]

Hey,

Tried sending you a PM but didn't work. Just wrote if you have any other suggestions or need any more information regarding my preparation to aid in your suggestions for me, let me know.

Thank you for taking the time to write this.

Sorry for the late reply

Here is what i left out. Amazing resource which I had done this when studying for step 3?

First of all how much time do you have prior to retake?
Which sections did you do worst in?
How was your CCS score?

I highly recommend board basics 3 + MKSAP-17 (resident version) - amazing resource - unforutnately doesn't cover non-internal medicine subjects (peds, obgyn, biostats, psych). But for me when i took the exam in 2016 it was IM heavy.

At the end of the day the exam is all about reading quickly --> stamina --> answering question quickly. THe CCS obviously is also important too. THe more questions you do and more practice you do the better

For me the main source of reading was the explanations.

Honestly if I passed anyone should be able to - at the end of the days its about making sure you can do above what I typed with efficiency.

Don't stress memorizing everything, study efficiently, don't dwell on crap

There are sources on the webs to get MKSAP 17 + board basiscs (most uptodate one) for free wink wink.

 

[Bazinga1983]

Sorry for the late reply

Here is what i left out. Amazing resource which I had done this when studying for step 3?

First of all how much time do you have prior to retake?
Which sections did you do worst in?
How was your CCS score?

I highly recommend board basics 3 + MKSAP-17 (resident version) - amazing resource - unforutnately doesn't cover non-internal medicine subjects (peds, obgyn, biostats, psych). But for me when i took the exam in 2016 it was IM heavy.

At the end of the day the exam is all about reading quickly --> stamina --> answering question quickly. THe CCS obviously is also important too. THe more questions you do and more practice you do the better

For me the main source of reading was the explanations.

Honestly if I passed anyone should be able to - at the end of the days its about making sure you can do above what I typed with efficiency.

Don't stress memorizing everything, study efficiently, don't dwell on crap

There are sources on the webs to get MKSAP 17 + board basiscs (most uptodate one) for free wink wink.

Heres the link to first and second attempt performance feedback profile..

https://postimg.org/image/nbyhatn9p/


1) How much time do i have? Well, i don't think i am going to take it before residency. Hoping to match this year so in couple of months i'll know. So if i match, then i might consider taking it before starting residency (~30% chance of taking it before residency). If i don't match then i am not sure. Because I have failed it twice and i checked state license requirements and most said to pass step 3 by 3rd attempt. So i have one more attempt to screw up on but not planning to. Also, states like PA, NY, NJ, CT have NO limits on step three retakes etc. And most likely, Ill match in these states so may be not having attempts restriction makes it a little easier. But i am not sure.

I can see myself taking it after being in the residency for 6-10 weeks.


Also, probably the MOST IMPORTANT reason, even if i take step and do well. This will not help me securing a residency. Getting to know people/residents/program directors will help MORE than getting a 220 at this point. My incompetency is apparent and it's all over my application. So how do you change this perception? By being seen. So if i have to choose between step 3 or doing all the scut work, i'll take scut work because this will help me the most. I'll pass step 3 and there's no doubt in that but at this point this isnt a priority.

CCS:
First attempt- Just UW ccs
Second attempt - UW CCS, archer videos and cursory skim through crush ccs. After going through archer i felt confident but feedback says i performed a little worse on ccs which is puzzling. So there has to be some sort of disconnect between understanding archer/UW and being able to apply on the real thing. I understood whatever archer/UW were trying to teach but i wasn't able to so something is missing. I would think that residency will help with CCS and i can even try to get tutoring for CCS portion. I mean i won't rehash everything but i poured my heart and soul into this damn thing but yea. So i think residency helps with ccs.

Another thing that was puzzling was that my performance declined in pretty much every subject. Subjects such as cardio where i scored relatively well, declined during 2nd attempt which is surprising. I did review everything. Did Kaplan qbank, uw qbank again. So may be my fundamentals are lacking in certain subjects which prevent me from choosing the correct answer when same concept is presented with a slight twist etc. Not sure.

Biostat: first attempt, i did well (relatively speaking). I did Uw step 1, step 2, step 3 and uw biostat course.
Biostat: 2nd attempt. Did not do all the questions i did in first attempt but i reviewed all of those notes. Surprised i did poorly because it's not like i waited YEARS between first and 2nd attempt. So i am not sure.

Pysch- i did not review this in depth during first attempt and may be thats why i scored low. During 2nd attempt, i did review but i dont know.

- Some of my weak areas (first attempt) improved (pediatrics)..

Overall:
I'm just letting this go. Because i am drained in every way possible and this OCDing this to death, doesnt help.

Tentative plans:

-I just got first aid step 3 question bank and it has 950 questions. So about to start these along with other "scut" work incase i don't match this year.
- Will use either STEP UP TO MEDICINE or Kaplan 2013 step 2 lecture notes because i need some sort of detailed content review and this seems to be best option. Plus, i cannot cherry pick which topics to review from step up to med because i really have no confidence in terms of what i know and what i don't know.
- use MTB 3 for Non IM
- I have UW step 2. So after first aid step 3 question bank, I will UW step 2 because i need to apply concepts that i am reviewing from step up to med etc.
- Then I can get back on UW step 3 and step 2 NBMEs along with Clinical mastery series.

So i don't think, i am using too many sources because most of the sources listed up focus on questions.

 

[Bazinga1983]

Hi Bazinga1983, I'm really sorry to hear about your experience. Having had to repeat step 3 myself, I would strongly advise against using any more resources. In fact, I would stick to a few solid resources and focus strictly on those. If you have more time on your hands, then review one of those resources again, and again. For me, I used UWORLD QBANK, UWORLD CCS, and MTB STEP 3 (less so than the other 2). On the second attempt. which I took 14 days after finding out I failed, I simply did a hardcore review of UWORLD QBANK (as many questions as I could per day) and at least 8 cases of CCS/day. Remember, even if you passed CCS, a better performance can help compensate for worse performance on the other sections. Also, on the first attempt I randomly guessed on at least 20 questions the first day. On the second attempt, I reduced this number to 12. However, one thing I realized was not to skip the study/stat/drug trial questions, as they are often fairly easy if you read through them once. I did much better on this area on the second attempt and the slight improvement in CCS was enough to push me from a 190 to a 199. Best of luck and I know how badly it sucks having missed it once, so twice must be extremely difficult. You have made it this far, keep pushing. Wish you the best of luck.

https://postimg.org/image/nbyhatn9p/ Performance feedback breakdown

Thank you for kind words.

Do you think I'm using too many sources? Most of the sources listed focus on questions.
Tentative plans:

-I just got first aid step 3 question bank and it has 950 questions. So about to start these along with other "scut" work incase i don't match this year.
- Will use either STEP UP TO MEDICINE or Kaplan 2013 step 2 lecture notes because i need some sort of detailed content review and this seems to be best option. Plus, i cannot cherry pick which topics to review from step up to med because i really have no confidence in terms of what i know and what i don't know.
- use MTB 3 for Non IM
- I have UW step 2. So after first aid step 3 question bank, I will UW step 2 because i need to apply concepts that i am reviewing from step up to med etc.
- Then I can get back on UW step 3 and step 2 NBMEs along with Clinical mastery series.

 

[fantasticMedStudent]

Tentative plans:[/B]

-I just got first aid step 3 question bank and it has 950 questions. So about to start these along with other "scut" work incase i don't match this year.
- Will use either STEP UP TO MEDICINE or Kaplan 2013 step 2 lecture notes because i need some sort of detailed content review and this seems to be best option. Plus, i cannot cherry pick which topics to review from step up to med because i really have no confidence in terms of what i know and what i don't know.
- use MTB 3 for Non IM
- I have UW step 2. So after first aid step 3 question bank, I will UW step 2 because i need to apply concepts that i am reviewing from step up to med etc.
- Then I can get back on UW step 3 and step 2 NBMEs along with Clinical mastery series.

I recently passed the exam, i think multiple sources is a bad idea with this exam. First take your time and do a good plan for a week, find a study partner. MOBs was a very good source reading it fast 3-4 times kind of sprinkled all over study period is a good idea and it gives you felling of flash back which is key to pass all USMLEs. Always make notes on MOBs i would say. Try to go over UW questions 2 times and take the NBMEs. I am sure you will ace it, this is just a small setback don't let it depress you.

 

[Instatewaiter]

Heres the link to first and second attempt performance feedback profile..

https://postimg.org/image/nbyhatn9p/


1) How much time do i have? Well, i don't think i am going to take it before residency. Hoping to match this year so in couple of months i'll know. So if i match, then i might consider taking it before starting residency (~30% chance of taking it before residency). If i don't match then i am not sure. Because I have failed it twice and i checked state license requirements and most said to pass step 3 by 3rd attempt. So i have one more attempt to screw up on but not planning to. Also, states like PA, NY, NJ, CT have NO limits on step three retakes etc.

Tentative plans:
-I just got first aid step 3 question bank and it has 950 questions. So about to start these along with other "scut" work incase i don't match this year.
- Will use either STEP UP TO MEDICINE or Kaplan 2013 step 2 lecture notes because i need some sort of detailed content review and this seems to be best option. Plus, i cannot cherry pick which topics to review from step up to med because i really have no confidence in terms of what i know and what i don't know.
- use MTB 3 for Non IM
- I have UW step 2. So after first aid step 3 question bank, I will UW step 2 because i need to apply concepts that i am reviewing from step up to med etc.
- Then I can get back on UW step 3 and step 2 NBMEs along with Clinical mastery series.

So i don't think, i am using too many sources because most of the sources listed up focus on questions.

If you match, DON'T Take it before residency! There will be no rush if you match. You will also be struggling during intern year. I implore you, do not take it until after your intern year. You will thank me later.

Also you don't have another try to screw up on in about half of states- those states allow you to take it three times and this will be your third attempt. You have already failed twice. You have one more attempt and that attempt has to be a pass. Don't limit your future options. Make the next attempt count.

 

[playingfrombehind]

@

https://postimg.org/image/nbyhatn9p/ Performance feedback breakdown

Thank you for kind words.

Do you think I'm using too many sources? Most of the sources listed focus on questions.
Tentative plans:

-I just got first aid step 3 question bank and it has 950 questions. So about to start these along with other "scut" work incase i don't match this year.
- Will use either STEP UP TO MEDICINE or Kaplan 2013 step 2 lecture notes because i need some sort of detailed content review and this seems to be best option. Plus, i cannot cherry pick which topics to review from step up to med because i really have no confidence in terms of what i know and what i don't know.
- use MTB 3 for Non IM
- I have UW step 2. So after first aid step 3 question bank, I will UW step 2 because i need to apply concepts that i am reviewing from step up to med etc.
- Then I can get back on UW step 3 and step 2 NBMEs along with Clinical mastery series.

I would skip out on any "reading/textbook" only for resources and reference
At the end of the day the step 3 exam is about stamina, being able to read/comprehend qustion quickly and answer the question

Therefore I would focus on only question resources with reading as reference material only
In addition to all the standard qbanks make sure you do MKSAP 17 as it covers every major organ system minus peds, OBGYN

Crush step 3 is very doable read in 1 day - quick read make sure you know the big orders and big picture don't get hung up on every last order

1) focus on doing questions
-as many question banks as possible add MKSAP17
-make sure you do question banks at least twice for max info retention
2) rely on the explanations as your main source of info
3) avoid too many reading/textbook resources

CCS
-UWORLD, Crush
-big picture, important orders, etc. rather than nitpicky every detail
-have general set of orders in mind and general approach

 

[Bazinga1983]

I recently passed the exam, i think multiple sources is a bad idea with this exam. First take your time and do a good plan for a week, find a study partner. MOBs was a very good source reading it fast 3-4 times kind of sprinkled all over study period is a good idea and it gives you felling of flash back which is key to pass all USMLEs. Always make notes on MOBs i would say. Try to go over UW questions 2 times and take the NBMEs. I am sure you will ace it, this is just a small setback don't let it depress you.

Thank you for suggestion. What is MOBs?

 

[Bazinga1983]

If you match, DON'T Take it before residency! There will be no rush if you match. You will also be struggling during intern year. I implore you, do not take it until after your intern year. You will thank me later.

Also you don't have another try to screw up on in about half of states- those states allow you to take it three times and this will be your third attempt. You have already failed twice. You have one more attempt and that attempt has to be a pass. Don't limit your future options. Make the next attempt count.

Yea, i am not planning to take it before residency. I interviewed when i was preparing for my 2nd attempt. Plus, i really dont have $900 for that damn thing. Might as well have them pay for it. Plus, i need some experience in terms of CCS because for whatever reason i struggled applying CCS concepts learned via uw and archer on the real thing. There has to be some sort disconnect. Yea, i did go over state by state requirements for step 3. Most states mentioned that step 3 must be passed within 3 attempts, some said 5 and then NY, NJ, PA, CT did not mention any attempts. Regardless don't want to fail again.

Thank you

 

[Bazinga1983]

@


I would skip out on any "reading/textbook" only for resources and reference
At the end of the day the step 3 exam is about stamina, being able to read/comprehend qustion quickly and answer the question

Therefore I would focus on only question resources with reading as reference material only
In addition to all the standard qbanks make sure you do MKSAP 17 as it covers every major organ system minus peds, OBGYN

Crush step 3 is very doable read in 1 day - quick read make sure you know the big orders and big picture don't get hung up on every last order

1) focus on doing questions
-as many question banks as possible add MKSAP17
-make sure you do question banks at least twice for max info retention
2) rely on the explanations as your main source of info
3) avoid too many reading/textbook resources

CCS
-UWORLD, Crush
-big picture, important orders, etc. rather than nitpicky every detail
-have general set of orders in mind and general approach

Thank you..


For now, i am just doing first aid step 3 question bank. It has about 960 questions. Trying to do block a day but so far haven't done too much. But going do first aid step 3 qbank, then uw step 2, then uw step 3, clinical mastery series and nbme/uwsa. Not going to do all of that now but rather before real step 3 whenever that is.


Gonna try to find MKSAP 17.

 

[xoggyux]

If you match, DON'T Take it before residency! There will be no rush if you match. You will also be struggling during intern year. I implore you, do not take it until after your intern year. You will thank me later.

Also you don't have another try to screw up on in about half of states- those states allow you to take it three times and this will be your third attempt. You have already failed twice. You have one more attempt and that attempt has to be a pass. Don't limit your future options. Make the next attempt count.

I will second this. I my eyes, taking step 3 before residency is to alleviate yourself from hardcore studying during residency. That being said it is a double edged sword as (some) residency(ies) can help you do better by helping you anchor all that knowledge.
May I ask what specialties you are applying for?
I myself I am preparing to take step 3 soon as I plan to match this year as well and I would like to take step 3 before residency. However our situations are different. If I had 2 missed attempts I would just take my time and go slowly after re-assessing what went wrong. At this point in time a pass/fail won't affect you to match this season but a fail can affect your whole career so just wait.
This does not mean that you should stop preparing, in fact quite the opposite. Keep studying as if you were going to take it prior July just don't take it yet.
From the spread of performance between attempt #1 vs attempt #2 and by the history that you are supplying us (you studied a lot, which I believe) I suggest that the problem might fall into not being very good at taking this test vs not knowing the knowledge.
For instance, you did "lower performance" for pediatrics in attempt 1 but "bornderline in attempt 2, while the opposite is true for erderly. This pattern can be seen in a handful of the sub-sections of your score suggesting that it is not lack of knowledge base (as the performance should remain similar) but rather problems taking the test (not reading, misreading, etc).
Something similar happened to me for my step 1. I studied for hours daily, read a bizillion books and did thousands of questions to get a barely passing score which was a disappointment (196). I wanted the earth to swallow me. But I found out it was not the # of times that you read/review or do questions but rather how you do them (quality over quantity) and after a few adjustments (and certainly time/effort) was able to get a 247 on my step 2. The point is you can improve substantially with just a few tweaks, its not a matter of doing the same thing over and over again.

Other suggestions: Get a study partner. Just get 1 or 2 friends (more than 2 is too many) and simply sit doing USMLE together. Make a game out of the questions, try to guess the right answer, try to explain to your partner (or him/her explain to you!) before checking the answers, etc. This can help a lot.

Finally. Another reason to not take it now, If you do not match (I hope you do but it is important to consider every scenario) having 2 (or even worse, 3) failed attempts at step 3 can severly limit your chances of matching next year. In fact if you were not to match this year, nothing short of a brilliant step 3 score might help you so this might be another reason to delay it.

 

[Bazinga1983]

I will second this. I my eyes, taking step 3 before residency is to alleviate yourself from hardcore studying during residency. That being said it is a double edged sword as (some) residency(ies) can help you do better by helping you anchor all that knowledge.
May I ask what specialties you are applying for?
I myself I am preparing to take step 3 soon as I plan to match this year as well and I would like to take step 3 before residency. However our situations are different. If I had 2 missed attempts I would just take my time and go slowly after re-assessing what went wrong. At this point in time a pass/fail won't affect you to match this season but a fail can affect your whole career so just wait.
This does not mean that you should stop preparing, in fact quite the opposite. Keep studying as if you were going to take it prior July just don't take it yet.
From the spread of performance between attempt #1 vs attempt #2 and by the history that you are supplying us (you studied a lot, which I believe) I suggest that the problem might fall into not being very good at taking this test vs not knowing the knowledge.
For instance, you did "lower performance" for pediatrics in attempt 1 but "bornderline in attempt 2, while the opposite is true for erderly. This pattern can be seen in a handful of the sub-sections of your score suggesting that it is not lack of knowledge base (as the performance should remain similar) but rather problems taking the test (not reading, misreading, etc).
Something similar happened to me for my step 1. I studied for hours daily, read a bizillion books and did thousands of questions to get a barely passing score which was a disappointment (196). I wanted the earth to swallow me. But I found out it was not the # of times that you read/review or do questions but rather how you do them (quality over quantity) and after a few adjustments (and certainly time/effort) was able to get a 247 on my step 2. The point is you can improve substantially with just a few tweaks, its not a matter of doing the same thing over and over again.

Other suggestions: Get a study partner. Just get 1 or 2 friends (more than 2 is too many) and simply sit doing USMLE together. Make a game out of the questions, try to guess the right answer, try to explain to your partner (or him/her explain to you!) before checking the answers, etc. This can help a lot.

Finally. Another reason to not take it now, If you do not match (I hope you do but it is important to consider every scenario) having 2 (or even worse, 3) failed attempts at step 3 can severly limit your chances of matching next year. In fact if you were not to match this year, nothing short of a brilliant step 3 score might help you so this might be another reason to delay it.

Thank you for taking the time to write this. Really appreciate it.

Now to answer your questions/suggestions.

1) Not planning to take it before residency because i think i need most help with CCS portion. Without rehashing everything, I used archer/UW for 2nd attempt and scored the same. So there is some sort of disconnect between what i am doing and how i am applying. So residency can help with that and or private tutoring just for CCS.

2) If i match, then use few months before to do hardcore prep so that i might be able to take few months into the residency or may be after intern year.

3) If i don't match then i am not so sure. Most likely still would not take it because cons outweigh the pros. Because like you mentioned, even a stellar score might not help. At this point its more about networking and changing their perception about my incompetency.

4) As being an IMG, i applied everything. But aiming for IM, FM, and everything else except psych. Also did not apply to surgery or other competitive specialities because well we all know.

5) Really hoping for PMR (but everything is fine except psych) because i have 2 years of orthopedic research and this hospital PMR falls under ortho. However, PMR needs prelim year. So might end up with surgery prelim but we'll see how it pans out.

6) Yes, i studied a lot. And it's embarrassing and humiliating. But i'll stop this here.

7) Planning to meet up with a friend who (240+ for step 1, 2, 3) and he's going to sit/study with me to asses and that can help. But then again, he has eidetic memory so his cognition is probably too high for me. But we'll see.

8) Totally agree about trying to use this time wisely and study. Just don't take the test. That's what i am trying to do but it's difficult because: 1) burnt out 2) Can't take a break bc during break i just cannot stop thinking about this and just self loathing. 3) Not having a definitive test date doesn't help. But going to keep at it.

9) Any specific advise regarding test taking?

Generally that's how i approach a question.
1) Read the last sentence
2)Skim the choices
3) Read the stem and pay close attention to whatever question asked.
4) Try to answer the question in your own words
5) If predicted answer is in choices then pick it and move on
6) If not, then eliminate and if get down to two then just pick one and move on.

Step 4: often times, i have noticed that i am not predicting an answer or atleast i don't think i am. Not every question needs to be predicted but you can always forget to do that when you are zoned in . Not sure how detrimental this is.

Specific problems during 2nd attempt:

1) Sometimes, i struggled picking an answer between two choices.
2) Narrowed down the choices but "I'm on the verge of figuring it out" and spend little extra time.

Because of problem 1 and problem 2 i run out of time where i had to choose a random answer without even reading the question. This happened about 6 questions on block 1 during first attempt and about 3-5 questions for the entire test on my 2nd attempt. So if i am running out of time, it because of not picking an answer quickly or because being on the verge of figuring it out.

3) I would say about few times during the test, I ran out of time because I read the question and spent about 30 seconds but either 1) Did not understand the question and or 2) had no idea or 3)brain stopped wanting to think. So, i skipped the question WITHOUT putting an answer down. And because of that and other problems listed above ran out of time so i had to randomly guess without re reading the question OR did not have time to choose an answer so left it blank..

These problems did not happen on every block but i would say about atleast 1/3rd of the test. Sad part is that i know these problems but somehow i revert back to old habits. These are few of the specific errors that i committed. reading a question and not putting down answer is a sin.



Thank you again for your help.

 

[amberphana]

Sorry to hear you failed. Here is some advice.

1) you need to seek help from someone who just passed step 3 for better advice and approach - failure x 2 = serious issues that need to be addressed.

2) BARE MINIMUM
-UWORLD step 3 qbank
-UWORLD step 3 CCS qbank
-Crush Step 3 CCS
-Kaplan qbank
-biostats - UWORLD step 1,2,3 + UWORLD supplement + any other biostat qbank questions you can get your hands on
-First Aid Step 1 behavioral science (biostats)
-highest yield subjects: biostats and step 3 CCS IMO are the highest yield portion of the exam - least amount of material for most gains
-as you already know you need a deep understanding of biostats to pass biostats portion
+/- MTB-3 - do UWORLD first then go read corresponding topic in MTB-3. Do NOT read MTB cover to cover.
+/- UWORLD step 2 CK


-there are ways to get all above resources for free- wink wink.

I am currently a resident from USMD school and I would say I'm pretty average intellect, failed Step 1, mediocore Step 2 scores, and mediocore step 3 score. I am by no means a genius but I was able to pass step 3 with a disciplined/cerebral approach. So if I was able to pass I'm sure anyone would be able to pass.

IMO residency really only helps the CCS portion. I would say in some cases taking step 3 during residency can definitely hurt the MCQ portion - i.e. if you aren't in peds/OBGYN/psych, etc. Also which residency program gives you more than a week or two of dedicated studying time (none that I know of) and which residency programs have regular review of biostats (which is a major portion of step 3 now)

So I advocate taking step 3 prior to residency - you might need extra practice on CCS and may struggle on CCS but there are more than enough resources to get you up to speed.

USMLE IMO never really correlates to clinical practice. It helps with random knowledge but treating a patient from history to A/P to discharging them out of the hosptial is a different skill than just answering step questions

Hey.. do u happen to have those resources above? I was thinking of starting to study for my step 3 and was going on forums looking for advice.

 

[KeratinPearls]

I didn't read any of the other posts on here but I'll give you a piece of advice. Forget what happened. Just because you failed does not mean it's the end of the world. The most successful people failed multiple times over. Negative self talk and blaming yourself will destroy you if you let it. Believe me I've been through the same thing.

It's hard to study for the MCQs. There's just so much info. Having said that focus on your weak areas. Take the NBME self assessment or the UWorld self assessment if you haven't. People on online forums have suggested what score is needed on each of these tests to pass. Also, you MUST:

Ace the CCS period. Focus on CCS. Dr Red from Archer talks about this. Pull that CCS score as far right as possible and you will pass.

Agree with the post about focusing on biostats and CCS. These two areas you can actually do well on if you practice. Like I said doing well on MCQs is tougher.