r/Step3

Posted here bout day 1 yesterday : https://www.reddit.com/r/Step3/s/nBubSR8ULS

MCQs got steadily harder as I progressed.a lot of them I paused for too long- cos I had no idea what the answer is .. made silly changes to answers (don’t do that- first instinct almost always right).

My biggest problem is that I forget things Ive already studied.

Also, testing BACK TO BACK is bad : I was tired after the first hour. I could feel the fatigue man! I didn’t have much of a choice in the matter tho. Just gotta juggle the cards you’re dealt.

The questions were CERTAINLY better than day 1.

CCS was weird - like idk if I’m doing alright. I know for sure I got the dx right.. in almost of all of them. Hope that’s enough to pass?
surely missed out on a few entries cos I forgot in that moment.

Man! I half assed step 3 prep and probably gambled my journey. Please prep well for this test cos this exam makes you feel so miserable and it’s gonna suck trying to take it again.

Best advise STUDY PHARMA- lots of adverse effects were tested on day 2
Day 1 was more about MOA.
I really wish I’d gotten around to doing sketchy pharma.

I hope I pass 😭. Please just pass me! Please! Cos this exam is torture.

I got my results today honestly was expecting something around 230 but got fail. I’m applying this year in Pediatrics. Should i apply for retake as early as possible and how can I counter this tragedy.Someone who was in the same boat or experienced it please share your thoughts
Thank you

I think my score is going to release on day of the eras application deadline (9/23). If scores release at 7am, will they be uploaded on time to ERAS? Will programs manage to view them? TIA.

i have my day 2 in 2 days. its my third attempt. please help me how to maximize day 2 and ccs. i heard on exam ccs you have to do physical examination first in case of emergency too.?

I got my results today honestly was expecting something around 230 but as the title says it’s just a pass. I have 25* in CK. I’m applying this year as a fresh graduate in IM. Someone who was in the same boat or experienced it please share your thoughts
Thank you

Uwsa 1 209 Nbme 7 60% Nbme 6 70% (took one block a day) Nbme 8 66.5% Uwsa 2 predicted 220 (took today) Exam in a week, do you think i am prepared for the test? For free 137 i heard its divided into 2 days day 1 and day 2 blocks, should i take just day one block for free 137 or do the whole free137 including day1 and day 2 with ccs? Please replyyyy

Answers are optional, post whatever you are comfortable with. More context gives better idea to future candidates and provides better comparison.

• Real deal:
• Day 1 & 2 dates:
• US MD/DO or IMG:
• Residency year:
• Speciality:
• Step 1 (year and score):
• Step 2 (year and score):
• Uworld completed %:
• Uworld correct %:
• Amboss completed %:
• Amboss correct %:
• Number of CCS cases done:
• CCS cases average:
• NBME 6 (score/% and time from exam):
• NBME 7 (score/% and time from exam):
• NBME 8 (score/% and time from exam):
• UWSA 1 (score and time from exam):
• UWSA 2 (score and time from exam):
• Free 137 (score and time from exam):

Reflection, thoughts on preparation, exam and result:

Any advice:

Strongest resources recommendations:

Good luck!

Seen so many posts saying Day 1 is step 1 content. Didn’t realize it would be so “we can ask just about anything under the sun- and we will totally ask you so much of step 1 including insane amount pathology slides & pathogenesis mechanisms.

Like molecular & cellular mechanics of disease?! Bruh I’ve not seen that content in a million years now.

I was doing fine with practice test biostats but exam day biostats felt awful : very few calculations- more conceptual (and I did not feel confident at all)- only way to fix is to do 200-300 biostats Qs and actually know the concept properly - & No Randy Niel isn’t enough. (Or maybe I’m a dumb ass)

Practice test pharma was easy but exam day MOA was BRUTAL!

My step 1 knowledge was close to zero at this point (step 1 done in 2023)

I know I didn’t prepare well. I did like so little of Uworld & just NBMEs. Not an excuse but limited visa stay time & juggling a full time rotation and doing step 3 was too much for me. Not an excuse.

Did not have time for F137.

Divine Pharma review helped on a few Questions. So Divine, if you reading this, thanks man.

I think I gambled with my career by sitting this exam without adequate prep. Idk how I am gonna match with an F.

NBMEs Average : 62% 😭

What’s the usual time table? 1-3 weeks? A month? I know scores come out on Wednesdays

Hi everyone! As mentioned in the title, I recently cleared Step 2. I would like to get done with Step 3 by Jan/Feb! Not sure if I should do UWorld because I'm hoping my Step 2 knowledge is going to help me? I do understand that day 1 is basically a Step 1 recap so going to revise those concepts. Need more details on how to proceed // would love to hear from y'all. Thank you!!

OK, so these exams are deriving me crazy, but my trajectory has been NBME 6 121/200 60.5% 342 with converted score of 203, then a week later NBME 8 121/200 60.5% 366 with converted score of 207, and now NBME 7 128/200 64% 392 with covered score of 211. Still have Free137 to do, but just always so frustrating to see such small improvements... my goal is pass (don't care about score), but I DO want to pass first go. Hopefully Free137 I'll get closer to 70%, would be the dreaaaam haha.

Completed 50% of UWorld with 60% average, NBME 7 68%, Step 2 score 265 in January this year. I was hoping to score in the 70s in the Free137 but alas. I just want to pass the exam. What should I do?

NBME 4	124/176	70%	225
NBME 5	110/176	62.5	212
UWSA 1	92/160	57.50%	204
UWSA 2	99/160	62%	212
NBME 6	132/200	66%	213
NBME 7	128/200	64%	218
NBME 8	128/200	64%	215

These have been my scores so far, haven't taken F137s yet.

Day 1 in 6 days, Day 2 in 14 days.

Just looking to pass.

Posting this because tomorrow is my first day back as a PGY-3. I almost lost my residency spot, but I finally passed on my 3rd try. Here is what happened, my stats, and what worked.
Step 2 CK: 227 (taken a couple of years ago)
Step 3 Journey:
1st Attempt (185): Listened to my program when they said "just take it, you'll be fine." Exhausted from residency, skimmed a few CCS cases, did light UWorld. Failed.
2nd Attempt (195): Did 60 CCS cases and 40% of UWorld. Program put me on leave before results came out. Devastating fail.
3rd Attempt (207): Ultimate last chance. Treated studying like my career depended on it.
What Worked for Attempt #3
UWorld: Finished 100% (60% average) + redid all incorrects.
Practice Exams: NBME 6 (63%).
Amboss: Targeted weak areas (GI, Cardio, Biostats, QI/Safety) with a 66% average.
CCS Cases: Did ~300 cases, repeating high-yield ones until order flow was muscle memory.
Exam Days:
Day 1: Felt terrible—worse than my previous attempts.
Day 2: All the UWorld prep paid off. Nailed CCS cases (except one). Key takeaway: CCS isn't just about avoiding negative updates; it's about hitting every single important management step.
Lessons Learned & Real Stats
Take it before residency if possible: Studying during residency is brutal, and you risk your entire career if things go sideways.

Don't listen to "I barely studied and passed": Look at the USMLE stats: from Usmle.org
US Graduates: 89% first-time pass \rightarrow 70% on repeat.
IMGs: 73% first-time pass \rightarrow 52% on repeat.
Don't gamble with your career on your first try.
To everyone: You got this, study hard and pray! 🙏🏽

If i take my step 3 and get my results after September 23rd

How exactly should i reach out to the programs

Should I "gmail" then the Step 3 scores and inform them

Or is it through a different route ?

Found the PDF for anyone interested:

https://pdfcoffee.com/qdownload/legendary-nbme-rocks-pictures-pdf-free.html

And additionally, this one is for the newer images:

https://pdfcoffee.com/qdownload/new-nbme-high-yield-images-pdf-free.html

Hope it helps!

I've found the writeups here useful, and hopefully mine will be to others as well.

Step1: Pass

Step2: 264

Step3: 262

I'm a PGY3 in IM. It's a mixed bag taking Step 3 at this point in residency with regards to getting a higher score. I had to relearn peds and obgyn and the genetic syndromes as best I could (alport syndrome, anyone?), which was painful. But on the other hand the bread and butter inpatient IM was much easier. For example, any time the answer was to intubate, the answer was pretty obvious to me, but I recall it being confusing as M4 (I had done UWorld Step 3 prior to taking Step 2 CK). Overall, if you're trying to maximize your score, the best time to take it imo is maybe 6 months into intern year, which is not too much time since Step 2, but also enough gained clinical experience which can help with some questions. But to be sure, for most people in residency the numerical score of Step 3 is meaningless.

I did one pass through UWorld Step 3 (scoring about 93rd percentile, though this was technically my 2nd pass since my first pass was as M4), and then reviewed incorrects. I also did one pass through UWorld ABIM, but no review of incorrects.

The real deal score of 262 is consistent with my other exams, since I got 264 on Step 2, and have gotten around 90-95th% percentile on my ITEs. In that sense, I thinking the strongest base for Step 3 is Step 2. But I also think there are specific things to prepare for Step 3.

One is biostats. I reviewed using UWorld's Biostatistics and the Biostats section in the UW Step 3 Qbank. I found that sufficient, and I felt pretty confident with all the Biostats questions on Day 1 of Step 3.

Another is prepping for ccs cases, I used ccscases, and did not use UW cases. I went through about 100 highest top yield cases. Some tips are: 1) You can enter all orders you want at once, you don't need to enter one at a time, 2) you can copy paste your orders from one case to another. By the 3rd case, I had a long list of orders I just pasted into the text box, and kept what I want. This is much faster than typing out orders every time, 3) I used 'Call me as needed' to save clicks and time, I'm not sure if this was the best approach but it did save me time.

I also focused on next steps in management during review. Even if the question was about diagnosis, I still reviewed the management. I also utilized Gemini extensively. It was like having a personal tutor, and for me it was a game changer in learning the material.

I think my edge in getting a higher score was biostats and ccs cases, I was expecting something closer to 250 or maybe even 240 to be honest. I also think there is a heavy dose of luck involved in these tests, the spread can be pretty wide.

I'm happy to be done with these tests, but I'm also surprised to be a little sad. I don't think the Steps are that meaningful in terms of being a good physician, in fact in some ways they're downright silly. But nevertheless, I've spent a significant amount of time and energy thinking about how to do well on these exams, and now it's all done, never to be used again.

Is there any new free 137 pdf available?