jpowitz
Forum Newbie
Topics: 5
Posts: 10
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i am a 4th yr psych resident; i have failed step 3 three times; passed step 1 with a 197 and step 2 with a 175 (barely, but this was the passing score in 2001); anyway, for my 1st attempt I used swansons fp and kaplan qbank, for the second attempt, i didnt prepare well, used cruch and kaplan qbank and got a lousy 68; on the 3rd attempt, i did the kaplan videos/notes and lots of questions on qbank and got a 74! i was very frustrated, devasted, whatever; anyway, i dug out crush step 3 and first aid for step 3; i subscribed to kaplan qbank again but havent done much of it; i have been reading that UW is better for questions; i plan to take the exam again in early august '06 but i have a pretty busy 2month consult-liason rotation comingin may and june; i have a more laid back geriatrics rotation in july/aug and am officially done in september 06; i cant barethe thought of reaching that 7 yr mark in 6/07 and having to take all the steps again;
any thoughts? suggestions? thanks...btw-scored 72 on first attempt at step 3...72...68...74...please help
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| smak
Forum Elite
Topics: 17
Posts: 196
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hey there man...i can understand ur frustration and agony.step 3 is such a torturous exam and to think u had to go theu that 4 times....phew!
after reading ur post the impression i got is that u r slightly confused about what sources to prepare from.remember the key thing for step 3 is to remain focused on a few books and know them really well.all the people i know who have passed step 3 didn't read any big book.tell u what...this time only stick to crush step 3...do it 4-5 times till u know every line by heart.do the uw q bank twice...know every answer explanation well...do uw ccs twice too..i think that's all u need to pass.
concentrate,stay focused,don't read too many books.
all the best,
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| jpowitz
Forum Newbie
Topics: 5
Posts: 10
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thanks; i appreciate the quick reply; sounds like a good plan; however, what is your opinion of first aid step 3? is it just as good, not as good, good as a supplement maybe? thanks again
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| smak
Forum Elite
Topics: 17
Posts: 196
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like i said...the more sources u use...the less likely u r to master them.every book is good and informative in it's own right.regarding first aid...i've heard a few people saying that some info in it is wrong.don't have first hand experience since i never used it.
u plan to retake the exam in august?
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| smak
Forum Elite
Topics: 17
Posts: 196
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crush step 3 is a must...don't underestimate crush since it appears to be concise.it has alot of info which shud be on ur fingertips...then ur good to go.
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| jpowitz
Forum Newbie
Topics: 5
Posts: 10
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yeah, I plan to take step 3 again in early august; hopefully ill ge tmy results by early sept 06 and then i can apply for the permanenet license so i can start wworking by early oct 2006, assuming ive passed; not sure how long getting my perm license will take though; btw-what percentage on these uw qbank questions should i be getting to be in "good shape"? and is doing 48 question blocks on 1 subject goiod and should it be mixed up like inthe real thing; peds have often been weak for me (id in peds), in addition to gi, id, and musculoskeletal in IM; any thoughts?
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| smak
Forum Elite
Topics: 17
Posts: 196
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for uw qbank...anywhere from 55 and above is a good score.i did blocks of one topic each since that aided me to know my weak areas in each subject.some people prefer mixed up.my advice:the first time round,read a topic from kaplna,crush then do all the mcqs related to that topic.make notes of the explanations of the ones u got wrong.
the second time u do uw qbank...do it mixed and in time mode.
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| Budlight
Forum Senior
Topics: 9
Posts: 92
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Hi there,
I am a very average student, and i had problems with my step 1! and am now studying for step 3 . IF there is one thing i learnt from taking these exams, that is to always look at the back of your score! If you dont know something, it reflects on your scorereport, and im sure if you look at 3 of your scores, the same areas will appear on the lower side!
Now, my strategy that worked for me is to look and identify these weak areas and give more emphasis, notice what questions you are not able to understand, and try to know why! do the USMLE world questions from those specific areas especially and read the explanation well, if you dont understand the explanation go and read a book. Getting a 74 means you only need minimal addition of knowledge, identify it properly and act accordingly! Work Smart! Also before you go to the exam, definitley do the NBME self assesment to see if you are ready to pass it.
good luck im sure youll succeed! Even Abraham lincoln had failed many times before succeeding. The key to success is to not give up! Like Dr. Fisher says , the Greatest part of Courage is Endurance!
God bless.
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| suresubabu
Forum Junior
Topics: 12
Posts: 34
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Hi Jpowitz
Hope you are still trying. Hmm.........4 failures. That must have hurt badly. But I can see why you have failed. I mean your case works out for logic. You have stayed a little too long away from competetive exams, did residency in a speciality, and then have given half-hearted attempts. Why do people fail? .....Lack of fund of knowledge is the main thing. Then , not knowing what to study and studying too little ,without analyzing and then hoping that one day everything works out in their favour. Please, please dont mistake me and start cursing me. I am here to help you.
My suggestion is to take some time off the residency. Apply sick leave if possible. Realise that this is that important. Watch step2 videos and have solid understanding of Medicine.This is utmost important. Then if you are weak in pediatrics, study it.Devote some time to it. Dont assess yourself with USMLEWORLD questions as they are mainly for learning. I can see that they are written by students, with the sole purpose of memorizing Kaplan material. Many of them testing what is given in Kaplan books . The thing is USMLE wont be that picky. Test your self with Kaplan q bank, and then NBME. Dont go to the exam unless you score 400 in NBME.Restrict yourself to Kaplan2&3books, Qbank&book, and USMLEWORLD. Anything more is waste of time.
All the very best. If you genuinely need help, support and answers in Medicine and Paeds, e-mail me. I will help you. Later, we may discuss on phone for the topics which you find difficult.
All the best
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| jpowitz
Forum Newbie
Topics: 5
Posts: 10
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hi there suresubabu;
thank you for the advice; as of right now, im reading crush and doing usmle world; mostly peds for right now; i plan to take the exam sometime in early august (my 4th attempt, not 5th, fingers crossed.. ); anyway, in my exepericen with the exams, it seems as if usmleworld resembles more of what the real thing is; maybe its the difficutly, etc; it seems that the first day of testing has easier q's and the 2nd day has harder q's (maybe making up for shorter number of questions);
also, i feel that at times the kaplan books for step 3 were a little too detailed in some parts and not enough in others; also, the peds section is organized poorly in my opinion as was the surgery section;
for now, i think ill stick with crush for step 3, usmle first aid for step for a diff perspective at some points (plus the ccs) and usmle world for mcq'd and ccs; hpoefully this will work
as for lack of knowledge, well, i will say that my peds rotation in med school was absolutely awful..pretty unfortunate
thanks again
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| drasadalich
Forum Newbie
Topics: 0
Posts: 3
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Hi
I have USMLE step 3 kaplan video lectures. I am selling them as I am done with them. If interested e-mail me at asadalich@hotmail.com
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| suresubabu
Forum Junior
Topics: 12
Posts: 34
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Hi Jpowitz
Nice to know that you are trying again.That should be the spirit. Sorry, If I said 4 failures when it was 3. Anyway, May be you need to study with a definite plan in mind this time , I think.Crush is good, but I must emphasise that after 3 attempts, you knew it anyway. It could bring you to 70s , but what gives you edge? What makes you pass this time?
My suggestion is, make your own notes. For example
MI,
Best initial step in management, after ECG,? Aspirin
Aspirin contra-indiacate,(pt.has ulcer), then ? Clopidogrel
Next,? Sublingual nitrate. then? IV nitroglycerin
Until what timeframe you give thrombolytics? 12 hours
What are contra-indications for Streptokinase?
So, this way, if you prepare notes, and write it down in a fatlittle note book(and keep it in coatpacket) you can revise even during hospital hours. That you are using your residency time also gives you that frame of mind to assimilate and memorize the subject.
Your rotation was awful allright, but you must learn it now, to pass this test. Paeds is very very high on this exam, as is Geriatrics.
All the best
Take care
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| jpowitz
Forum Newbie
Topics: 5
Posts: 10
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hi guys,
sorry its been so long; ive been on a very busy psychiatry consult service these past 2 months; ive been doing some usmleworld and did some crush but I have to say i dont like the way crush organized; ive also dug up the kaplan lecture books but they seem to be too detailed at times and take along time to read; so, i have first aid step 3 whcih seems good but some parts (like peds, endocrine) are kind of flimsy in content; i just dug out first aid step 2 and noticed its more thoroguh at times; I was wondering what you thought about using both, mainly step 3 but also step 2 for things that seem to not be covered well enough, in addition to uw of course; im taking the exam again on aug 16/17; wish me luck..; hope all is well
sincerely,
jack p
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| waqastariq
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