 So I finally took step three and today we're going to talk about my reaction to the test. Let's get into it. All right guys, what's going on? It's Laksh here from The Empty Journey and today we are going to be talking about my step three reaction to test day, basically continuing the step three series that we have here on the YouTube channel and on the podcast. So I finally took the test. It's been about a week since test day, so it's still fresh in my mind. And if you guys are interested, there'll be links down below to videos that I made on how I planned on preparing and how my prep actually went. And today I want to talk about how the test day actually went. We're a really quick overview of how my prep was designed. Now, a reminder, I was on a really busy cardiology IC rotation when I was studying. So I wanted to make sure that I was just essentially doing the bare minimum to get the high yield results of studying for step three. So I really just use you all. All I did was just do numerous amounts of questions. And I did the cases a little bit before test week, about a week and a half. It took me a while to get into them. In addition to using the resources, I also reviewed using the Excel method, which I talked about here on the channel, as well as you guys can check out a link down below for the metal lead Academy, which will have a whole step three course and module for you guys to check out in case you want to see how I was using the Excel method to really just kind of help me quiz everything that I was missing on the world questions. Basically, I did all the world questions as quickly as possible. I marked the ones that I missed. And I really didn't have enough time to do the missed questions again, just because of time constraints. So I use the Excel method to basically have a nice kind of broken down category of all of the topics that I had struggled on. And then there was a nice way and easy way for me to review them. But in this episode, I really want to talk about what test day was like, that way you can mentally kind of prepare yourself and understand what the experience is going to be like. Now, keep in mind, I haven't got my test score back yet, and I really don't really share those on the channel. Maybe I'll make a video if you guys are interested. So let me know in the comment section down below. The first thing that I really found to be surprising was that the questions were a little harder than I thought they would be. People tend to make the joke that you would need like two months to study for step one and like two weeks to study for step two. And then like a two number, two pencils for step three is not really true. The topics that you learn in step three are pretty similar to step two. And so maybe if you take it close enough, it'll be a little bit easier. There's a lot of bit of nuances. There's a lot of biostats. So if you're somebody who's weak on it, I definitely recommend that you spend a good amount of time during your UOL prep to answer those questions. UOL also has a biostat section that I definitely recommend checking out, which I did about a few days before the actual test. And I know it definitely helped me get a few questions that I knew, otherwise I wouldn't. So definitely check out your biostats because there's a lot of biostats on the first day of the exam. In the second day of the exam, there's no biostats. I'm not sure if that's the same for everyone, but I think that's probably going to be the breakdown for a majority of people. So not only are there a lot of biostat questions, which can be hard or easy depending on who you are, but there's just a lot of step one knowledge would make questions pretty difficult because there's things of asking me questions on enzymes and, you know, pathways and kind of whether or not somebody is autosomal recessive or dominant, things that I probably just didn't remember from the first and second year medical school or, you know, are not no longer relevant to me to know as a second year internal medicine resident. So there's a lot of step one knowledge and a lot of them I just had to guess. So kind of remembered the rough idea, but I didn't remember the exact kind of fact. And for those questions, it was kind of a toss up and I just had to shrug my shoulders and say, I either got it right or it didn't. And it was just kind of a bonus question if I got it right and no big deal if I got it wrong. But there is a lot of step one knowledge I was surprised about that I don't feel like you will necessarily covers. But still, I feel like you will overall as my summary does a pretty good job of being pretty similar to the topics that are covered on the actual exam. So it's pretty much my reflection on day one. The questions were a little bit harder than I expected. Lots of bio stats and definitely a lot of step one knowledge that wasn't ready for the day itself wasn't that long. And I'm not sure if it's because I've just so gone. So used to test. I think it was about six and seven hours and you have about an hour total in breaks and I was able to use them just effectively. And then I had a day off in between my day one and my day two of my exam. Now a quick reminder, day two of your exam basically includes both questions. I think it includes about six to seven blocks you'll do that has about 30 questions. So less questions per block, but you still do a few blocks back to back. And then it also includes the clinical scenarios and cases that step three is kind of known to be unique for. And the questions on the second day I was told was going to be a little bit easier. I honestly found them to be the same level of difficulty. Had some step one knowledge. I think my first question was like an odd ball like what in the world is this? I don't even remember learning it as a first or second year medical school student and let him loan as a second year medical resident. I think I actually guessed it right. But the fact being that the questions were probably similar in difficulty without as much bio stats on day two. But then what I found to be a nice refreshing surprise is when I started to do my cases actually found them to be pretty easy mentally to do. Some of them I still had to like work to figure out what was going on, but I had a rough idea and I never found myself to be using all the time that the cases will allow. So cases are either going to be a 10 minute case or a 20 minute case in real time. That means you have 10 minutes to do everything and work up the patients do the history and physical, etc. Or the 20 minute cases at any time that you don't spend on those cases are up to your break. So initially I probably had about 30 minutes left in my total break time after I finished my six or seven questions on multiple choice. By the time I got into my cases, I were basically finishing everything in half the time. So if it gives me about 20 minutes, I was using only about 10, so those 10 minutes are starting to add up. And I could find myself doing like four to five cases at a time without really getting fatigued. And so I was able to get through the actual test day and probably around like six or seven hours. It didn't take me very long. It's supposed to be a nine hour exam, but I was never going to the very end on any of my cases. And actually I found the cases to be a little bit easier than the world ones, a little bit more straightforward, and I found the interface to be a lot easier too. It's essentially the same actual interface, but there's a few nuances. For example, when you're ordering a lab, when you do it in your world, you have to click stat. When you do it in the actual test day is designed to be stat. And basically that means you'll get the test result as soon as it's ready. So again, I don't actually know my scores, but I actually found the cases to be both easier actually and a little bit enjoyable, which I've never thought about what happened on an actual test board exam for USMLE. The cases are actually fun, pretty straightforward. I may have missed a few here and there, but nothing kind of crazy. The questions again, a little difficult, but that's kind of going to be the theme for any USMLE exam that you take. That's my overall kind of takeaway for step three. A little bit of odd in some places with the questions, and I'm pretty sure everyone probably had some difficulty with those. Cases were a nice little refreshing touch at the very end. Do I think it needs to be a two day exam? Probably not. Do I think I need to ask or be asked to step one questions on kind of a resident level test? Probably not, but it is what it is. Eventually, I'll be making more videos about different parts about studying for step three, whether it be studying for the questions itself or studying for the cases. But again, if you want all that content right now, then check out the Metal Lead Academy down below. Basically, you get access to the whole platform if you're interested for a whole week, just for dollars. So not only can you check out the step three courses, but you can check out everything for residency or the end of med school, depending on where you are. All the content will be available for you. With that being said, guys, let me know what other questions you have for step three, so I can make sure I add it to the series here on the YouTube channel and on the podcast. The drop the comments down below. And also, before you click off, hit that like button. If you did enjoy this video, it supports the channel and also lets me know you want more content like this one. And also hit that subscribe button to get two videos just like this on a weekly basis. But thank you guys as always for watching these videos. I really appreciate your support. Thank you for being a part of my journey. Hopefully I've been a little small help to you on yours and I'll see you guys in the next one. Take care of my friends. Peace.