196 to 212 in 6 weeks
I was devastated when I found out I didn’t pass Step 3 the first time. I left the testing center feeling absolutely horrific — and unfortunately, that feeling was accurate. I really thought I had failed, and I had.
People will say on here - everyone feels bad walking out of the testing center and doesn't fail but LOL I did!!
I was embarrassed. I kept my head down and just tried to move forward.
For my retake, I was fortunate to have lighter rotations and made sure I didn’t have to travel for the exam like I did the first time. I also took a completely different approach to studying.
I did what everyone tells you to do:
- UWorld
- NBME 6
- NBME 7
- ~40 CCS cases
But honestly, looking back, the biggest thing I changed was I left UWorld in the wind. 😂
For me, it just wasn't useful for the retake.
Instead, I focused heavily on AMBOSS:
- AMBOSS Step 3 Study Plan
- AMBOSS Ethics
- AMBOSS Biostatistics
- AMBOSS 200 Concepts – Step 1
- AMBOSS 200 Concepts – Step 2
- Redid all 180 CCS cases twice
After all of that, I took Day 1.
And honestly? I felt pretty confident walking out. Ethics felt much more manageable, biostats felt solid, and even though the Eseppro section was horrific 😂, I just did the best I could.
The Step 1 concepts from the AMBOSS Step 3 + Step 1 study plans were also surprisingly helpful. There were definitely questions where I was able to recognize the underlying concept because I had reviewed it through those resources.
Then came Day 2.
Day 2 was a BREEZE this time around.
It was night-and-day compared with my first attempt.
And now, looking back:
Is a 212 an impressive Step 3 score? No.
But did I pass Step 3 on my second attempt?
Yes.
Did I improve by 16 points in 6 weeks?
Yes.
And honestly, after failing the first time, I am incredibly proud of that.
If you're studying for a retake and feel like you've already failed once so you're doomed — you're not. Change your approach, figure out what didn't work the first time, and keep going.
A pass is a pass.