“Two months for Step 1, two weeks for Step 2 CK, and a number 2 pencil for Step 3, right?” Not exactly.

You cannot bring your own pencils into the testing facility nor would you need them. And more importantly, Step 3, though not the most crucial of the three USMLE examinations, is not an exam to disregard. It is an expensive and grueling exam that you would only wish to have to take once and is being increasingly used in the fellowship match. This outline will breakdown how to plan for the exam and what to expect as you prepare and take the test.

Below are the top tips and tricks pertaining to this final USMLE Step exam.

By now, you’ve probably heard from everyone around you how challenging your intern year is going to be. Learning how to put in orders, dose medications, stay awake for 27 hours at a time, and just how to function when working 80 hours a week is a steep learning curve. So how are you supposed to study for another Step exam at the same time? Believe me, it can absolutely be done! You just might need to be more proactive in planning out your study time in advance.

The day has finally come. You’re about to click start on your first question on the USMLE. Your breathing is rapid and your heart is fluttering, but you try to stay calm. The first question appears and you jump right in. It's a long case, which you start reading from the top... but by the time you finish, you realize you were so nervous you don’t remember anything you just read! On the next question, you try to compensate by reading with extreme attention to detail. You focus on the vital signs and lab work of a sick infant girl, trying to diagnose her illness, only to get to the end of the case and realize it’s an ethics question and the diagnosis doesn’t even matter. Now you’ve wasted more time!

If this sounds familiar, it may be time to refine your question-taking strategy on the USMLE. The following steps provide some helpful tips for best tackling a case-based question on the boards or any medical school exam.

In my last post, I gave my first four secrets on what to look for to solve any Step 2 CK or Step 3 question stem. Now, with rotations finishing up for many students and Step 2 CK looming on the horizon, I can’t think of  a better time to share the rest!

So you’ve got Step 1 under your belt and you should be feeling pretty good about yourself. However, now that you’re preparing to take Step 2 (or 3), you may be wondering how Step 2 and 3 questions differ from Step 1, and whether you’ll need to change your approach. Not to worry! In this post, I’ll cover the techniques I teach my students for tackling question stems.

It was January of MS2 year, and here after Christmas break, excitement for Step 1 was starting up. Within a few weeks, our administration laid out a calendar, involving one-on-one meetings with faculty to discuss our Step 1 study plans. They wanted us to have calendars built with our daily study plan for every day of our 6 week study period. While this seemed intense at the time, in retrospect, it was a necessity. After our last class in April, it was time for everyone to part ways with one another, and work through their calendars day-by-day. It was time to become very well acquainted with our new best friends, First Aid and UWorld.

I know this is a medical school blog, but I think it’s about time we talk fitness. No, I’m not about to start telling you how to get into shape. Let’s be honest, I’m still working on that myself. In fact, in recent weeks, I have found it harder and harder to accomplish my fitness goals and it got me thinking. Preparing to ace the USMLE is a lot like trying to get into shape. Both have a relatively straightforward “formula” for success. Most people know what they “have to do” for both of them, and both can be very frustrating, emotional, and full of setbacks. Let's talk about them and then go over 4 foolproof ways to hold yourself accountable while studying.

Whether you’re struggling with your exams or looking for a competitive edge, it’s no secret that a 1-to-1 tutor can be an incredible asset to your studies. But if you’ve never worked with one before, it’s often daunting to dive in without any idea of what you would be doing or what your relationship would be like.

So what can you expect from meeting with a step 1 tutor? How does USMLE tutoring work?

How many of you clicked on this post just because you thought this sounded like a crazy idea?  A test as important as the USMLE — and here comes someone talking about taking it sooner than you had scheduled it? He must be insane.

Yet, while this is nowhere near as common of a dilemma as pushing your test date back, I have worked with many students who have encountered this conundrum. Moreover, I can confidently say that in certain situations, moving your test date up can lead to a higher score on the USMLE. So how do you know if this is the right decision for you?