Preparation: 3 months on and off, doing observership during preparation. last 2 weeks studied full time.

Materials: Swanson (100% finished), UW (100% finished), Kap qbank (100% finished), FA, USMLE CD, UW CCS.

Read some chapters of CK notes.

Did all above once. UW CCS twice.

NBME 450 5 weeks before exam, then revised weak points.

Day 1: 5 office + 2 emergency, questions are long, I think both UW and Kap qbank are outdated, real step 3 questions are very long and weird.

Most questions ask: most appropriate response? most appropriate statement? these kind of questions are very hard, made me have to think carefully and selected by exclusion, thay's why people did not have enough time for step 3.

Easiest questions ask: most like diagnosis, most appropriate next step. (like UW and Kap qbank), this kind of questions you can know after you read questions and then you just need to find the answer.


Day 2: easier than day 1, I had enough time to answer all questions

CCS: all of my CCS cases ended at 10 minutes, longest cases end at 15 minutes

PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME FOR REMEMBERED CCS CASES, THIS VIOLATE USMLE RULES OF CONDUCT. THANKS.

IF YOU KNOW PRINCIPLES TO DO CCS, YOU CAN END ANY CASE BEFORE TIME.

I am not sure to pass, but my sinsere advise for you is to do as many questions as possible, above 50% of questions you will not find in any text book, they test your judgement and your sense.

REMEMBER QUESTIONS LIKE:

1. WHICH OF FOLLOWING IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE RESPONSE? (WHEN PATIENT OR SOMEONE ASK DOCTOR)

2. WHICH OF FOLLOWING IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE STATEMENT?

3. WHICH OF FOLLOWING IS THE MOST LIKELY DIAGNOSIS? (EASY QUESTIONS, JUST SOME DERMA ARE HARD)

4. WHICH OF FOLLOWING IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE NEXT STEP?



Good luck