step 3 failure

[promethius]

Hey so I recently found out that one of my good friends failed STEP 3. She scored a 183, which seems to be a recurrent score on these forums for the few people who have failed. My question is is it worth it for her to re-check her score? If STEP 3 were purely a multiple choice exam, it may not be worth it to re-check, but the CCS cases are free response, which could potentially lead to some variations on re-scoring? Just wondering if anyone has had or heard of any experiences with re-scoring and whether the final score is still the same. Also, out of curosity, anyone have any idea how long it takes to re-score STEP 3 once the FSMB receives your money. Time for her is of the essence since she needs to pass STEP 3 within the next few months.

She is, as expected, devastated at having to retake this monster of an exam again. Just for background, she spent about 2 solid weeks studying for it, went through all the USMLEWorld questions (scoring about 54%) and used First Aid for USMLE STEP 3 and Boards and Wards for her review textbooks. She also studied the back of First Aid and went through the five practice cases on the sample CD you get in the mail, but managed to scored only on the marginal level for the CCS cases. She asked me for ways she could go about re-studying for this exam. I am at a lost right now. What would you all recommend? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Blade28]

If STEP 3 were purely a multiple choice exam, it may not be worth it to re-check, but the CCS cases are free response, which could potentially lead to some variations on re-scoring?

The clinical cases don't really ask for "free response"-type answers, per se. You choose diagnostic and therapeutic options based on a list of options that are available to you. The final diagnosis doesn't count towards your score.