STEP 3 Score VS USMLE WORLD AVERAGE

[FirstMANdown]

There is a great thread for Step 2ck VS UW%. I though it might be helpful if anyone out there can give us there input with there Step 3 VS UW%...etc as well. Anyways Thanks for the contribution.

I'm do to take Step 3 in the next month. Will update this thread as well. For better or for worse.

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[metukah]

Got my score back today! Wanted to share as reading this forum helped me as I prepared.
Background: Starting residency this July.
Step 1: 225
Step 2CK: 241

Prep for Step 3: about 5-6 weeks full-time. Read MTB3, did all of UW Step 3 and made typed up notes (avg. score timed was ~55-60%). Read and did all 51 CCS cases, made notes, and then reviewed all the notes and practiced inputting all the orders. Week or so prior re-read all typed notes and CCS cases. Took UWSA which predicted a score of 202 (discouraging). I didn't take any NBME - didnt want to waste more money. Test days: first day seemed like typical USMLE and resembled UW. The questions were surprisingly not super long. LOTS of biostats tho and ads/abstracts. Timing was manageable. That night I reviewed all 51 CCS case notes. Day 2 was the next day, MCQs seemed a bit more straight forward with no biostats. Lots of medication/therapeutics questions. CCS cases felt similar to UW with some minor variations. 11/13 ended early and I was confident in what I did, 2 weren't great. Overall, I left feeling like I probably passed but wasn't sure.

Score came out 12am on the 4th Wednesday.
Step 3: 222 (much higher than anticipated).

Goodbye USMLE! Hello intern year!

 

[mklug33]

Got my score back today! Wanted to share as reading this forum helped me as I prepared.
Background: Starting residency this July.
Step 1: 225
Step 2CK: 241

Prep for Step 3: about 5-6 weeks full-time. Read MTB3, did all of UW Step 3 and made typed up notes (avg. score timed was ~55-60%). Read and did all 51 CCS cases, made notes, and then reviewed all the notes and practiced inputting all the orders. Week or so prior re-read all typed notes and CCS cases. Took UWSA which predicted a score of 202 (discouraging). I didn't take any NBME - didnt want to waste more money. Test days: first day seemed like typical USMLE and resembled UW. The questions were surprisingly not super long. LOTS of biostats tho and ads/abstracts. Timing was manageable. That night I reviewed all 51 CCS case notes. Day 2 was the next day, MCQs seemed a bit more straight forward with no biostats. Lots of medication/therapeutics questions. CCS cases felt similar to UW with some minor variations. 11/13 ended early and I was confident in what I did, 2 weren't great. Overall, I left feeling like I probably passed but wasn't sure.

Score came out 12am on the 4th Wednesday.
Step 3: 222 (much higher than anticipated).

Goodbye USMLE! Hello intern year!

Congratulations on passing! I just wanted to get your thoughts because I'm in a very similar situation as you.

Intern year starts in July and just want to get STEP 3 over with. I've done all of uworld and will likely finish it a second time, took notes while doing it. Finished all 51 CCS cases, reading them and will likely finish them twice as well. Haven't used MTB3 much. Anyway, I just finished the UWSA today and scored a 220. Makes me a little uneasy going into it. Exam is 10 days away. However, the UWSA only had maybe 4 or 5 biostat questions and zero drug adds, and seemed pretty heavy on clinical knowledge, so it may not be that great of a predictor, would you agree? What would you recommend doing the last 10 days before the exam, or should I even take it at this point?

Thanks!!

 

[Tapepsi]

Soon to be PGY2 psychiatry resident this July. Had a 57% average on UWorld. Used FA and MTB Step 3. Walked out of the test knowing I failed. Felt like Day 1 wasn't so bad (warning TONS of biostats). Almost felt like Step 1 at some points to be honest. Then on Day 2, the MCQ killed me. I was guessing on 60% of questions on each block on Day 2. CCS wasn't so bad because I practiced the cases on UWorld although I messed up on 2-3 of them on the real thing for sure (forgot to put a diagnosis in for one!).

Got Step 3 score back today: 222

Good luck to everyone!

 

[gunner0101]

PGY3 FM resident. I really put off this exam...I took it after I wrote and passed my ABFMs lol.
Studied for maybe 2-3 weeks on and off. Did 40% of UW, avg timed and random was 72%. All of CCS cases on UW. Did the biostats package too after reading there would be a lot of biostats on day 1. UWSA was a 217 like a week before the test.

Day 1 I thought I got destroyed. Lots of biostats. Day 2 MCQ felt a bit better, shorter vignettes. The CCS cases I thought I tanked on because they almost always finished super early.

Real score: 247, pretty happy with that!

CCS was off the charts so I guess if it finishes early then that is a good thing!

Good luck to everyone! No more exams ever, woo-hoo!

 

[aaparu]

PGY2 pathology resident.

I don't really "manage" patients in the traditional sense, so I was a little worried about the exam. I attempted to study during first year, but it was difficult to motivate myself to focus on topics I didn't enjoy, especially memorizing guidelines vs. knowing pathophysiology (or things one can figure out vs. having encountered a fact in practice or test preparation). Plus, pathology is not something medical school prepares you to "do" (even with lectures covering pathology), so that requires the bulk of your attention. I made the mistake of reading forums about pathology residents who failed Step 3 multiple times (even with prior decent board scores). I was also under the impression one has to take Step 3 by the end of PGY2 (I don't know from where I conjured this idea), so I was more motivated the second time around. I used UWorld questions, UWorld CCS, and the additional Uworld Biostatistics package, which I HIGHLY recommend if you have any hesitancy regarding this topic. I also HIGHLY recommend "Crush Step 3 CCS" (I wish I would have used this sooner and read through it multiple times after doing all the UWorld CCS cases and practicing with the software).

The first day I felt the questions were comparable to the length and depth of UWorld. I left feeling like I was going to pass, though my score would be much lower than previous Steps. The second day I was nauseated (anxiety), so I didn't eat anything because I was worried about getting sick in the testing center. I thought the second day questions were much more difficult for me. Although they were shorter in length and fewer in number per block, I felt like I could only get most questions narrowed to two choices. I thought about primary care residents because I'm sure the questions would be easy for them, as these are the decisions they are making on a day-to-day basis. I put those flag icons next to questions I wasn't sure about, and I had about 40% of the questions marked on day 2 (vs. about 20% marked on day 1). None of the biostats questions were difficult after doing the above mentioned biostats review. Then the CCS cases started, and I had no idea how those were going to turn out. Some cases would just end. Some would continue the entire allotted time. I would recommend practicing CCS more than you think is required if you're a pathology resident (maybe radiology or psych, too). Score report came in 3 weeks. Peds and CCS were the lowest portions of my score, about which I'm not surprised.

UWorld average: 74%
Step 1 & Step 2: 250s
Step 3: 250s

Good luck to everyone else!

Remember, everyone walks out of the testing center dreading failure. If you put in the work, you will succeed!

 

[zrg56]

Hi! I want to know your opinion about kaplan q bank? I almost done with it with an average of 64% next I will do the Uworld.

 

[bigpacman101]

UWSA: 1wk out 210
Actual: 220
UWorld Avg: 59% time, random, full blocks
1m.o Study, all uworld and uworld ccs

 

[dragonmaster89]

UWSA: 217 2 weeks before actual test
UWorld average: 61%, random, full blocks
Did all the Uworld CCS cases as well

Step 1 score: 232
Step 2 score: 235
Step 3 score: 229

 

[frustratedmed]

nvm

 

[mklug33]

Took it before intern year started.
Did Uworld 2x and did CCS about 1.5 x.
UW 1st time: untimed tutor = 62%
UW 2nd time: random/unused timed = 85%
Knowing Uworld well and understanding the algorithms they provide is all that one needs to pass this exam. Bought MTB and used it minimally. It may have been helpful to solidify a few more concepts, but like I said, it's not necessary.
Took UWSA 2 weeks before and scored 220. Not very indicative. Only had 3 or 4 biostats questions, and a ton of clinical questions that I felt were much harder than the actual Step 3 exam. There were a ton of bread and butter questions on the real deal, and also quite a few tricky ones. Overall, wasn't that painful of an exam.
Scored in 240's.

 

[psychEpath]

Signed up for the actual exam 9/24 and 9/25. I took UWSA and BARELY passed after about 1 month of studying with Uworld tutor mode blocks of 10 at about 60%. I didn't look at the answers, but felt they were very difficult! Did anyone else think UWSA was very tough? Does it reflect the actual test well? My goal is to pass in my historic range; below the mean, but not by the skin of my teeth either. I think I have test taker anxiety :/

Also, is Kaplan worth buying for the month? Thanks!!!

 

[zrg56]

Hi! I

Signed up for the actual exam 9/24 and 9/25. I took UWSA and BARELY passed after about 1 month of studying with Uworld tutor mode blocks of 10 at about 60%. I didn't look at the answers, but felt they were very difficult! Did anyone else think UWSA was very tough? Does it reflect the actual test well? My goal is to pass in my historic range; below the mean, but not by the skin of my teeth either. I think I have test taker anxiety :/

Also, is Kaplan worth buying for the month? Thanks!!!

Bought the kaplan qbank for a month and I finished it with a 65%. In my opinion it is not as good as uworld but I think it will help you to see more and different questions. I'm doing uworld but still have 67% unused questions. It is tough, my overall is 62%. I am also reading MTB (40 pages per day). Hope you pass this beast! Good luck.

 

[mentie]

Signed up for the actual exam 9/24 and 9/25. I took UWSA and BARELY passed after about 1 month of studying with Uworld tutor mode blocks of 10 at about 60%. I didn't look at the answers, but felt they were very difficult! Did anyone else think UWSA was very tough? Does it reflect the actual test well? My goal is to pass in my historic range; below the mean, but not by the skin of my teeth either. I think I have test taker anxiety :/

Also, is Kaplan worth buying for the month? Thanks!!!

I was under the assumption that this thread is supposed to list people's UWSA and actual scores in order to provide some sort of correlation. Maybe you might want to make a new thread for your question, but I'll share my experience.

UWSA: 213 (day before)
Actual: 227

I did think UWSA was harder than the UW qbank but reflective of the real exam. It seems that people tend to score 14 points higher or lower than their UWSA score (only saw 2 outliers on this thread scoring 20+ points lower than their UWSA). I took NBME4 weeks in advance and scored in a range that was unsafe (borderline passing). I reviewed the questions I got wrong on NBME and noticed that neither UW qbank nor MTB3 helped at all with those questions. So then I started reviewing Kaplan 2CK Notes which provided the detail I needed (I'm many years out of school in a non-IM/EM/FM residency so I needed the help). I recommend it if you have the time. I did not see many repeated questions from UW on the real exam. Did not do Kaplan qbank so can't comment.

 

[normtheniner]

Took it last month.

Background: EM resident, PGY-2

Step 1: ~250's
Step 2: ~250's
UWSA: 224 (1 w prior)

How I prepared: Did like 200-300 UW questions over my OB rotation. Worked through like 50% of the UW cases. Bought and did most of UW biostats.

Day 1: Pretty hard, felt like there were multiple good answers for most questions. I honestly feel like I guessed on a lot of them. (Usually on UW I could make strong guesses and averaged between 60-65% overall but for the test I felt like I was more unsure for most questions.)

Day 2: Slightly easier than prior day. Still felt more uncomfortable than I would have liked. Cases probably went the smoothest for me (a year of EM residency probably helped a lot with this).

Score: mid 230's

 

[bulldogmed]

I took the exam during my first month of intern year. I studied for about a month before the exam. I only used UW. Did all of the questions and all of the practice cases.

UW average: 64%
UWSA: 215
Step 1: 220
Step 2: 264
Step 3: 230

If you're a fresh US MD graduate, all you need is UW. I wouldn't bother with FA or MTB.

 

[jake3333]

I almost never post, but I use this site every time board exams come around to see how UWorld averages and practice tests correlate with actual scores.

I'm happy to say that today I found out I passed step 3 and am done with USMLE for good!



I didn't really study as much for step 3 as I did for steps 1 and 2... But lets be honest, I only wanted to pass. I didn't care if I got a 196 or a 296.

I'm in my second year in family medicine, so just working every day helped with the exam.

The only resource I used to study was UWorld. I studied for one week and I did 40% of the UWorld questions with a 58% average. All were in blocks of 10 or 20 and always in tutor mode. Because I was in tutor mode, I sometimes already had the answer to the second part of a two part question, so I'd say my true average would be 56 or 57% if I wasn't in tutor mode. But I also did most of the questions on my phone while on rotation, so maybe if I could concentrate more they'd be higher... So why don't we call it a wash.

I only studied CCS for two days. I went through all 51 cases, but rushed through them, obviously. This was a mistake. I should have given myself a couple more days to be more comfortable with the software and to not rush through the cases so much.

I took the UWorld practice test two days before my test (and didn't do any further studying after that, other than CCS cases) and scored a 207.

I took my test on two consecutive days, back to back. Those were a long two days, but I'd much rather do it this way and just tear the bandaid off, so to speak.

A few of the CCS cases were easy, and I knew I nailed them. A few were miserable and I felt like I completely flunked them. I few were in between. And one of them was easy, but I completely screwed it up. I don't know how my dumb brain did this, but a patient had a TSH of 0.01... and I prescribed Synthroid. The patient got worse, and it ended before I realized my bonehead mistake.

When I left the test, I knew for sure that I failed it. I had already mentally prepared to retake it.

Anyhow, I got my score back today and was pleasantly surprised with a 221.



Cliff notes version
UWorld average 58% (40% completed)
UWorld practice test 2 days before test 207
Actual score 221

 

[doc0610]

UWSA-210
real deal-210

day one was horibble, i was alwasy stuck between 2 options, not sure what they were trying to ask and lastly, biostats was such a pain!
day two felt much better, my mcqs were direct. There were times that I was stuck between two, but it wasn't as bad as day one!
CCS, I had direct cases. 6 went well, the rest were ok.
I am just glad to be done with this exam, I wish no one ever has to retake it again. It was a horrrible exam and the past 3 weeks have been horrible. I have spent nights on the forums reading stories to feel better. SOOOOOOO glad that this is done and over! Bye Bye USMLE

P.S- behavior and ethics was very very very low for me. I knew that after the test, so if you could read some source for that, they are easy points.

 

[bonvivant07]

PGY2 psychiatry resident

step 1: 212
step 2: 215
UWSA a few days before: 188 (after this just reviewed the uworld notes and reviewed biostats)
actual score: 209
All first time passes.

Hopefully this gives some people hope. Don't despair and carry on Good luck everyone

 

[Mr Derp]

Took it before intern year started.
Did Uworld 2x and did CCS about 1.5 x.
UW 1st time: untimed tutor = 62%
UW 2nd time: random/unused timed = 85%
Knowing Uworld well and understanding the algorithms they provide is all that one needs to pass this exam. Bought MTB and used it minimally. It may have been helpful to solidify a few more concepts, but like I said, it's not necessary.
Took UWSA 2 weeks before and scored 220. Not very indicative. Only had 3 or 4 biostats questions, and a ton of clinical questions that I felt were much harder than the actual Step 3 exam. There were a ton of bread and butter questions on the real deal, and also quite a few tricky ones. Overall, wasn't that painful of an exam.
Scored in 240's.

Think this post is pretty spot on with my experience. Planned to take it prior to residency (pathology), but wasn't able to get it scheduled so took it during my first month of residency at the end of July. Used UW about 1.5x through (74% first pass), UW Biostats module (highly recommend), made flash cards for things I didn't know from UW questions (~800, reviewed 20-25 every day and crammed through them all the day before day 1), and read MTB for the areas I've traditionally felt were my weak areas (peds, OB/GYN). Studied for about 6 weeks, scored in 250s.

 

[pukashell]

Duration: 2 months, studied daily
UW Q bank: completed once (1500+ Qs) avg: 66%
UW CCS: went through all cases. viewed a few Archer videos and found it helpful.
UWSA: 202, one week before exam. no NBME
Took day 2 one week after day 1
Real exam: 204

 

[Gooby]

I just did USWA1, got slightly higher than average on all four blocks but my final score was below average... any idea how that works?

 

[ICUatUCI]

I just did USWA1, got slightly higher than average on all four blocks but my final score was below average... any idea how that works?

I was getting around the average and I got 53% on UWSA and that converted to 194. May I ask how many corrects you got and what you score on UWSA. I just want to pass

 

[FIREitUP]

I took the exam yesterday and the day before (back to back). I did uworld, about 1200 q's on tutor mode, ended with 69% (started in the low 60's). Went through all the CCS over the course a week or two and quickly read the explanations before the test.

Felt like it was horrible. Multiple choice was exceedingly difficult and requiring guessing.

The worst for me was the CCS. I was so exhausted and now looking back I really messed it up. Had no idea on one patient what the dx was. Forgot to give calcium gluconate to a guy with elevated K (shifted him and did kayexalate and ordered dialysis). Totally mismanaged a guy with aortic dissection (didn't order antihypertensives or CT angio, just x-ray, cardiac monitor, ekg and called surgery). Didn't give platelets to leukemic pt. who had a hematoma. My diabetes guy didn't improve much after just metformin (should have given another med). Gave a person with ischemic stroke tPA, called neurology, but didn't reassess neuro status.

I just feel so down on myself. I was so tired at the end that I overlooked so much stuff. I did well on my other steps (250's and 260's) but really feel like I mucked this one up. Hopefully you don't have to pass the CCS section to pass the test. Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[psychEpath]

I took the exam yesterday and the day before (back to back). I did uworld, about 1200 q's on tutor mode, ended with 69% (started in the low 60's). Went through all the CCS over the course a week or two and quickly read the explanations before the test.

Felt like it was horrible. Multiple choice was exceedingly difficult and requiring guessing.

The worst for me was the CCS. I was so exhausted and now looking back I really messed it up. Had no idea on one patient what the dx was. Forgot to give calcium gluconate to a guy with elevated K (shifted him and did kayexalate and ordered dialysis). Totally mismanaged a guy with aortic dissection (didn't order antihypertensives or CT angio, just x-ray, cardiac monitor, ekg and called surgery). Didn't give platelets to leukemic pt. who had a hematoma. My diabetes guy didn't improve much after just metformin (should have given another med). Gave a person with ischemic stroke tPA, called neurology, but didn't reassess neuro status.

I just feel so down on myself. I was so tired at the end that I overlooked so much stuff. I did well on my other steps (250's and 260's) but really feel like I mucked this one up. Hopefully you don't have to pass the CCS section to pass the test. Any feedback would be appreciated.

I promise you are fine. You killed Steps 1 and 2. I also tanked on CCS, it was HORRIBLE. To give you some perspective, here's my experience:

Step 1 215, Step 2 CK ~ 230, Step 3 203

I did UWorld 2.5x (60% 1st time, 80-90% 2nd time), Kaplan (exactly 60% 1 time), UWSA 196 (2 weeks before), NBME 600 (1 week before). Based on my NBME, I probably should have done better. My CCS was absolutely AWFUL. I felt like I bombed 5 out of the 13 cases and my performance was borderline with several Xs to the left of the middle bar. With that said, it seems like there is some cushion even if you bomb CCS and do reasonably ok on the multiple choice. I don't recommend blowing off the cases though. And study biostats. Good luck everybody else!!!

 

[alpinebrook]

Got my score today! Passed!

Looks like I've been very consistent all these years. Step 1: 245, Step 2 CK: 241, Step 3: 242.

I studied as much as I could for about 2 months during a light rotation; finished UW with 64% correct (mostly untimed tutor) then went back and worked on some incorrects only (didn't finish them all), UWSA: 215 (took about halfway through studying), NBME form 4: 690 (that's about 2 SDs above the average score; took about a week before the real exam).

I thought I did really well with CCS but I filled up the gray "borderline performance" bar!! (with the rest to the right of the bar). Oops!

I spent extra time on biostats (even bought the extra UW module) and I'm so glad I did. People on here are NOT lying when they say there's tons of biostats on Day 1. Scored completely to the right of the "borderline performance" bar.

My feeling on this exam is that you need to take it seriously and study, and if you do -- and you've done so on previous exams and passed without problems -- this will be no different! You got this!!!

 

[Adamoza]

Sharing my experience

IMG working currently in UK

History: Step 2 = 268, Step 1 = 251, Step 2 CS = pass,


Step 3 actual score = 243, UWSA around 217, NBME around 220

I took a very quick look at MTB from cover to cover in a 2 weeks or so while on work and a couple of weekends.

I then went through UW all timed, non used, first pass 64% average and solved the CCS cases twice in succession to get used to the system. I then went through the wrong and the marked ones.

Then I took UWSA 10 days before and NBME 9 days before. Following that I revised the weak points based on the assessments in MTB and solved some questions in UW. Before the exam I practiced the USMLE website cases and questions.

I felt I messed up with the first day MCQs as I literally got most of biostats long questions and drug ads wrong as I did not want to loose time on them.
Second day: the cases were more difficult in average than the UW ones, and they don't improve so quickly and most of them close early and you don't whether you ****ed it up or whether they are so happy they let you off early.

Any how, such a relief to be done with Steps for good. All the best for those taking the exams.

 

[tt33]

Hey all...I've booked step 3 for next week and today I got 225 on UWSA. I got 650 on the NBME last week....not too sure which is more accurate. I'm an IMG applying this year for the match with a 238 step 1 and 252 step 2 ck. Do you think taking step 3 and getting that kind of score (220's) will hurt my application?

 

[snow88]

As a clarification - when people are reporting their UW scores, is that the % correct out of the total number of questions, or does it refer to the percentile rank? My two values are quite different so I was curious!

 

[psychEpath]

As a clarification - when people are reporting their UW scores, is that the % correct out of the total number of questions, or does it refer to the percentile rank? My two values are quite different so I was curious!

I think most people mean percentage correct.

 

[LiveandLearn123]

PGY-1 here, required to take Step 3 during intern year.
Study duration: ~1 month dedicated studying time on a very light rotation
Resources: MTB, Uworld random + tutor mode initially then switched to regular blocks random/timed. Uworld CCS cases with archer tutorial (highly recommended). Averaged ~64%
Took UWSA 4 days prior and scored like a 199, which scared the crap out of me but read on here that it wasn't completely representative so decided to go ahead and take the exam

Final score: 233, very happy overall considering duration of study and my predicted score. I would say some important things would be to try to do a couple CCS cases every day with your study schedule and also look at the written ones they provide. Also get the biostatistics section from UW which helped me do well on that portion.

Good luck all!

 

[lulu1538]

IMG graduated in 2014

Time of preparation: 3 months of dedicated study, 8 hours at day, 6 days per week.

Material used: MTB 3 ( 2 times), Conrad 100 ethics case (1 time), UW q bank (2 times), Kaplan q bank (1 time), UW biostatistics course (3 times), Uworld CCS (2 times).

Scores:

UW q bank: 64% (First time), final score after 2 times in the 80's.

Kaplan q bank: just one time 69%

UWSA: 10 days before test: 210.

FRED: 84%

Real score: 209.

 

[FIREitUP]

Passed with a 245. Somehow I had higher performance on CCS, I have no damn clue how that's possible. I almost touched the borderline area, though.

I took the exam yesterday and the day before (back to back). I did uworld, about 1200 q's on tutor mode, ended with 69% (started in the low 60's). Went through all the CCS over the course a week or two and quickly read the explanations before the test.

Felt like it was horrible. Multiple choice was exceedingly difficult and requiring guessing.

The worst for me was the CCS. I was so exhausted and now looking back I really messed it up. Had no idea on one patient what the dx was. Forgot to give calcium gluconate to a guy with elevated K (shifted him and did kayexalate and ordered dialysis). Totally mismanaged a guy with aortic dissection (didn't order antihypertensives or CT angio, just x-ray, cardiac monitor, ekg and called surgery). Didn't give platelets to leukemic pt. who had a hematoma. My diabetes guy didn't improve much after just metformin (should have given another med). Gave a person with ischemic stroke tPA, called neurology, but didn't reassess neuro status.

I just feel so down on myself. I was so tired at the end that I overlooked so much stuff. I did well on my other steps (250's and 260's) but really feel like I mucked this one up. Hopefully you don't have to pass the CCS section to pass the test. Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[ICUatUCI]

I was getting around the average and I got 53% on UWSA and that converted to 194. May I ask how many corrects you got and what you score on UWSA. I just want to pass

UWSA 194 (2 days before the real test)
I got 221. So happy/excited.

I studied for 1 mo (1-2 wk before the dedicated, I did about 10 q/day) just doing UWOLD questions on tutor untimed mode. I was on elective which helped. I did about 60q a day (and 80 on my day offs) as I wanted to do all questions at least one. I believe I finished w/ all the questions roughly one week before my test dates. I finished with like 50% correct on my first pass. For that last week, I did about 5 or so CCS cases a day and redid 40 incorrects/day. I wasn't able to get through all the incorrects. Then I took UWSA 2 days before my test and scored 194 which got me worried as passing score is 196. I don't want to reschedule/postpone the test is I don't have anymore electives left and don't want to study during my vacation. I decided to come on here and see what people were saying. I believe for most people, they score 10+ higher on the real deal or at least 1-2 point above UWSA. So I decided to gamble and took the test.

Day 1, I thought it wasn't too bad. The biostats questions that I got were pretty easy compared to Step 1 and 2CK. Most were asking about simple stuff like NNT, NNH or sensitivity, relative risk percent. But those drug ads were super long, I had to guess on almost all of them as I did them last and running out of time. And the other MCQ weren't bad compared to day 2. When I came home to check on some questions that I wasn't sure on, I did pretty good.

Day 2, I thought MCQ were harder than Day 1. And for CCS, I was able to finish all cases on time. I just wasn't sure on one case. I was worried bc I finished almost all my 20min cases w/n 5-7 min.

Score report showed I did slightly better on Day 1 than 2.

 

[tt33]

So I took step 3 yesterday and 1 week ago.
Background: step 1 238, ck 252. UWSA: 225 about a week before, NBME 650 about 2 weeks before.

Day 1: I thought this wasn't took bad. Def some more Step 1 and basic medical science concepts I wasn't expecting but overall very doable. Also not a very long day compared to the others.

Day 2: I felt crushed afterwards. For the MCQ's I'd been through all of uworld x1, and incorrects and again some other random blocks and was scoring in the 80-90's by the end (60's first time through) but I was guessing on about 60-80% of each block. Miserable. Then the CCS started and I made tons of big mistakes. Cases didn't seem to finish very early and I made a critical error in one of them because I pursued the wrong diagnosis. Think I didn't read the histories well enough. My advice would be slow down and read carefully for clues. Overall, I feel defeated and not sure I won't be re-taking this or barely squeaking a pass. I'll update in a month if I can bear it.

 

[Gingkobiloba]

So I took step 3 yesterday and 1 week ago.
Background: step 1 238, ck 252. UWSA: 225 about a week before, NBME 650 about 2 weeks before.

Day 1: I thought this wasn't took bad. Def some more Step 1 and basic medical science concepts I wasn't expecting but overall very doable. Also not a very long day compared to the others.

Day 2: I felt crushed afterwards. For the MCQ's I'd been through all of uworld x1, and incorrects and again some other random blocks and was scoring in the 80-90's by the end (60's first time through) but I was guessing on about 60-80% of each block. Miserable. Then the CCS started and I made tons of big mistakes. Cases didn't seem to finish very early and I made a critical error in one of them because I pursued the wrong diagnosis. Think I didn't read the histories well enough. My advice would be slow down and read carefully for clues. Overall, I feel defeated and not sure I won't be re-taking this or barely squeaking a pass. I'll update in a month if I can bear it.

tt33, I could have wrote that. UWSA 225, step 1 : 247, step 2: 250, CS pass 1st attempt... UW cumulated score 72%. My first day was last Monday and it was not as good as yours, lot of stats and articles with barely time to think. I remember some big mistakes I did while changing some of my answers... Day 2 was the same day as yours (Wednesday), kind of more doable bc of the lack of stats and articles but I did some significant mistakes due to time pressure... CCS was very stressful and I forgot some stuff in each cases, just bc of the rush... one case didn't get well at all, I couldn't get the results I was waiting and in consequences couldn't really treat properly this poor patient. I was so afraid the case end abruptly that it lead me to do significant mistakes... definitely a good advice to slow down and take the time to think...
3 more long weeks to go :/

 

[tt33]

tt33, I could have wrote that. UWSA 225, step 1 : 247, step 2: 250, CS pass 1st attempt... UW cumulated score 72%. My first day was last Monday and it was not as good as yours, lot of stats and articles with barely time to think. I remember some big mistakes I did while changing some of my answers... Day 2 was the same day as yours (Wednesday), kind of more doable bc of the lack of stats and articles but I did some significant mistakes due to time pressure... CCS was very stressful and I forgot some stuff in each cases, just bc of the rush... one case didn't get well at all, I couldn't get the results I was waiting and in consequences couldn't really treat properly this poor patient. I was so afraid the case end abruptly that it lead me to do significant mistakes... definitely a good advice to slow down and take the time to think...
3 more long weeks to go :/

Hope it goes well for both of us! To be fair, the drug ads were really hard for me too and I did feel pushed for time now that I think about it. Memory can be relative so I think after doing day 2 which was so terrible, day 1 felt much easier! Good luck to you!

 

[Gingkobiloba]

Hope it goes well for both of us! To be fair, the drug ads were really hard for me too and I did feel pushed for time now that I think about it. Memory can be relative so I think after doing day 2 which was so terrible, day 1 felt much easier! Good luck to you!

Thanks! Same for you.

 

[MonsterAddict]

Posting since I always use this site before exams:

FM resident
Step 1: 258
Step 2: 264

Uworld practice test for step 3 1 week before test: 227
Step 3: 245

Score report clearly shows the cases were my weakest even though I knew diagnosis and management usually with the prompt. I should have spent a little more time (30 min the night before is not enough) reviewing the computer software and the nuances related to moving the case forward. If you had a day to study before the test I would hit biostat and review the computer cases.

 

[tt33]

So I feel that I must update to encourage anyone out there who felt terrible after the exam. Despite my despondency (see previous post), my score was 248. I checked the website directly this morning before I got an email. So it seems UWSA predicted lower and the NBME was closer to the real deal for me. Best of luck to all of you and adios Step exams!!

 

[Gingkobiloba]

So I found out today I passed too (score 235). Glad to be done with all the steps forever. Good luck to all who are waiting results. You should be fine.

 

[Beanie121212]

Hi all, my first post on SDN ever! I'm a PGY-2 obgyn resident, taking step 3 in 2 weeks. I did the UWorld Self Assessment today, and it did not go as planned. I scored a little over the average of UWorld test takers in terms of questions correct (~60%), which put me at the 28th percentile. That's not the part that's disappointing, but instead it's the fact that I got predicted a 201 =(
My question is: do these numbers make sense in terms of the predicted score? Does doing average compared to all UWorld users who took the self assessment translate into a predictive score of 201, which is barely passing? Can anyone tell me what percentage of correct questions corresponds to a 220?
I can't push my test back since I'm almost at my 3 month period and there are no dates available. Any advice/help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Gingkobiloba]

Hi all, my first post on SDN ever! I'm a PGY-2 obgyn resident, taking step 3 in 2 weeks. I did the UWorld Self Assessment today, and it did not go as planned. I scored a little over the average of UWorld test takers in terms of questions correct (~60%), which put me at the 28th percentile. That's not the part that's disappointing, but instead it's the fact that I got predicted a 201 =(
My question is: do these numbers make sense in terms of the predicted score? Does doing average compared to all UWorld users who took the self assessment translate into a predictive score of 201, which is barely passing? Can anyone tell me what percentage of correct questions corresponds to a 220?
I can't push my test back since I'm almost at my 3 month period and there are no dates available. Any advice/help would be much appreciated. Thanks!

I think there is no very good predictor for step 3, as there were for step 1&2. If you read already through this thread, you can see you< may> still be able to score a 220... Use the assessment as a way to see where your weaknesses are and work on that. Beware of CCS too and study well all the UW cases and get at ease with the software. If really you feel it is gonna be tough, you may ask for an extension of your testing period.

 

[Beanie121212]

Thank you for your reply! I'm going to keep plowing through and hope for the best. My UWorld blocks have been in the 50's and 60's randomly, with no upward trend over the past week, not sure what to make of it....

 

[Gingkobiloba]

Thank you for your reply! I'm going to keep plowing through and hope for the best. My UWorld blocks have been in the 50's and 60's randomly, with no upward trend over the past week, not sure what to make of it....

If it's bc you're finishing UW it's normal, All new block is new material. See it as a learning tool. Schedule time however to reread your UW notes in your countdown schedule. Maybe for your weak subjects use MTB or whatever ressources you were using if any (depending of your time also).Personally I chose to just stick to MTB as it was familiar from CK and I didn't had time for anything else.

 

[dillonkor]

First result of 2017 to be posted? Took the test mid-December.
231
Only did UWorld for MCQ and CCS. First time did by blocks, taking notes at average 50-60%. Did random second time, averaging 70-80%
UWSA 219

Like everyone else, I thought I failed the first day due to questions that focused less on complex thinking but more bluntly about do you know this or not (a few random basic science questions).

Second day wasn't so bad. UWorld biostats helpful and you don't need anything beyond that. Just be comfortable with the arithmetics so it doesn't take up too much time during the test.

gooooodbyeeeee USMLE! March on everyone!

 

[BnL]

First result of 2017 to be posted? Took the test mid-December.
231
Only did UWorld for MCQ and CCS. First time did by blocks, taking notes at average 50-60%. Did random second time, averaging 70-80%
UWSA 219

Like everyone else, I thought I failed the first day due to questions that focused less on complex thinking but more bluntly about do you know this or not (a few random basic science questions).

Second day wasn't so bad. UWorld biostats helpful and you don't need anything beyond that. Just be comfortable with the arithmetics so it doesn't take up too much time during the test.

gooooodbyeeeee USMLE! March on everyone!

Congratulations!!! Can you tell us more about your CCS experience?

 

[rbnsafsadgf]

completed PGY-1, Step 1/2 CK= 240's/260's
UWorld x1 in tutor mode, average = 74%. I studied after home from hospital x6-8 weeks, seriously for three weeks.
read thru about 20 cases, did all of the interactive cases on Uworld the night after test day 1, then straight into day 2 of testing.
real test step 3 = 251

Biostat and drug ads required real thinking
CSS -- didn't score as hot in this department. Most cases were straight forward, but X-ray'd the wrong thing, couldn't spell a drug name well enough to select it. In retrospect, I wish I would have thrown in more CSS case practice during my studying

glad it is over. should have also slept more before my test. shouldn't cram the night before. enjoy your test breaks too. I drove to go get coffee and that helped my focus.

 

[TeslaCoil]

My Uworld percentile almost exactly predicted my actual percentile.


Sent from my iPad using SDN mobile

 

[Beanie121212]

I got my score back this past week, and hopefully my experience will be helpful to someone:

Uworld tutor mode 1x through: 64% (total study time: 3 weeks, during a lighter outpatient rotation)
Uworld self assessment: 201 (1 week before test)
USMLE Step 3: 242

I'm not sure of the reason why I scored so poorly on the UWorld SA. It definitely isn't representative of the real test, because there isn't any biostats or CCS cases. Plus, even though I scored average in terms of questions correct on all blocks, the report said I was in the 30th percentile. I'm not sure how that makes any sense.

Bottom line: go through UWorld 1x, and instead of doing all incorrects, mark questions that are high yield and go through them again as you get close to day of the test. I would also start my studying each day by going through 5 CCS cases because those are free points assuming you're proficient at using the software.

The other thing to keep in mind is that the 1st time pass rate for US grads is 95+%. If you diligently study for a few weeks and go through UWorld, you'll do fine. Good luck!

 

[alium12]

HI everyone!
I'm new to this site...I had a few questions regarding Step 3. I'm scheduled to take it in Late March. I'm not in residency yet...I graduated med school (FMG) 5 years ago, took time off and decided to take all of my exams in the last 2 years. Its a little difficult for me since I work full time and I am a single mom of two little boys (age 3 and 10 months), but I'm determined to pass this test so that hopefully I can get into a residency program this year.

Many programs here in South Florida have asked that I take Step 3 prior to being accepted into residency (according to them it will make me a stronger candidate).

I'm using MTB...reading, taking notes.
USMLE World QBANK...for far I'm between a 60-70%
But my trouble is CCS....I have NOOOOOO idea how to use the clock thing, I'm doing practice questions in the CCS module, but I still can't seem to figure it out, when I hit the clock, should I always just put (when the results are available?) and also how do I write discharge orders? Or am I even supposed to write discharge orders. For example, On the examples given in USMLE world it says I need to counsel the patient, but how do I do that on CCS? I feel like I'm totally going to BOMB the test, not because I don't know how to manage the patient but because I have no idea how to manage the CCS format?!!

Can anyone help? Not sure if someone can FaceTime me and we can go over one or two practice questions so that you can teach me how and when I'm supposed to click on the clock.

I know this might seem silly...but I need like a good TUTORIAL on just how to take this damm exam =(

Hopefully someone can help!

thank you !