 It's 6 a.m. And I'm going to take yet another exam All right guys, so I just arrived at my testing center. I'm at yet another Prometric Center testing center. I don't know how many of these places I've been to today. I'm taking my In-service exam for radiology. We have to take an in-service radiology exam every year I guess it's a way to see where everybody's at, but it's not really that accurate because For instance, during my first year you have to take this exam as well And you've only had six months of radiology, which means you haven't even had all of the subjects that you're actually tested on So it's not really that good of an indicator But anyways, I'm here and we'll see how it goes. I guess All right, so I just finished my ACR in-service exam And it wasn't that bad after all So how many exams do you actually have to take to be a doctor? And then continue on as a doctor. So I've been to one of these pro-metric locations I mean all across the country I've taken a bajillion tests it feels like and it somehow seems to keep going on and on and there's no end in sight So for the people who are actually wondering what it takes So in med school actually before you get to med school you have to take the MCAT Which is an absolute beast of an exam. I don't know why you have to take it I think it's just a way of to weed out people in med school because it actually has zero relevance To becoming a doctor or how you do as a doctor after you do that also back to the MCAT But what why is there a verbal section on the MCAT? Like what does that have to do with becoming a doctor? I don't get it somehow being able to interpret a Charles Dickens excerpt Makes you a good doctor. I don't know Anyways, so after you take the MCAT and you get to med school assuming you do well or do well enough to get into med school You take a bajillion exams during your first two years in med school at the end of your two years in med school You take your first board exam, which is the United States medical licensing exam or the USMLE step one This exam is arguably the most important exam of your entire life and future as a doctor You basically spend two years learning medicine and then after those two years you study for three to six months or a year for some people and you take a Eight hour exam and that determines the fate of your entire life as a doctor I have a big problem with this because I think there's more to being a physician than being able to take one test I think it's important to do well on the test and I think it's a good way to kind of analyze people across the board In a good way to compare med students about how well they're doing in their studies However, you can't put that much emphasis on an exam In order to get into residency So for those who don't know the step one exam is the most important exam for Determining your residency So if you don't do well on that it really limits your options of which specialties you can go into for instance high-end specialties such as dermatology Interim radiology Plastic surgery which are notoriously competitive if you don't do well on your first board exam You basically have almost zero percent chance of matching into that specialty so you need to like completely change your career options and completely change your interests after you take that ridiculously hard and anxiety provoking exam You have to take your second version of that test Which is the USMLE step two and that is it's a similar exam about eight hours. I actually had Someone who was in this testing center one person was taking step one and one person was taking step two It made me feel a little old, but I'm glad it out. I'm not in their shoes anymore. Anyways, so for step two It's not as important as step one But you still need to do well on it because it Resonancies do look at this step store and it's a way also to kind of compare you to the rest of the Nation or the rest of the med students when looking at residency applications. So that's like I said is another eight hour exam I think it's eight hours. They probably change it. Everything's just getting harder and longer these days so after you take step two you can take the clinical portion of step two which is where you actually act like a clinical physician and You see I think 12 patients 12 standardized patients Examine them write notes on them and you are Essentially graded on how well you do as a doctor. I think it has a pretty high success rate I think it's not high 90% people pass that exam because at that point you should be pretty good at seeing patients and Being a normal person you would think so assuming you do well on both or all three of those exams In all of your million exams in med school you get accepted to residency And then after your first year or second year of residency You will take the third portion of the USMLE and that is the step three Exam this one pretty much doesn't matter at all. You really just want to pass this exam I took it like three years ago, and I honestly don't even remember it But I know I passed and I did okay, but I really don't care now. It brings me to Currently in residency you have to take a an in-service exam every year. I think that's pretty unanimous across the board Surgery takes abscite. I know anesthesia takes one I think internal medicine also take I don't know I think most people most specialties do take a In-service exam. It's specialty dependent on who really cares about this exam I know surgery uses the abscite to Like you have to do well on the abscite in order to land a good fellowship for radiology Specifically, I think it's kind of program dependent. So for me, this is my third year and I'm taking this exam and then Four months later. I have to take the board exam. So this exam is kind of just like a practice run I guess I don't know but what's weird is that the fourth years also have to take this examination So I saw one of my fourth years in this Testing center with me He's already passed his board exam and now he still has to take this in-service exam that really means nothing So it's kind of like a waste of time, but you got to play the game. That's how it is So after your fourth year you take this exam and I think that is almost it for Going to all these testing centers and taking these random standardized exams. You have to take a Another board exam your final like board certification exam in radiology a year or two after you graduate residency And then for interventional radiology, you also have to take a I do an oral board examination Which I can imagine is probably tough as well. So yeah, that is all of these standardized exams We have to take along our medical journey This is not a woe is me video This is just what you have to do. I don't necessarily agree with all the testing I think it's a good way to kind of compare people, but I don't think we should put too much weight on these exams it's I mean it's pretty stressful as it is and You know as a medical student and medical resident and I think these exams just kind of add to the stress and the anxiety without Too much positivity coming from it. I know it's like a necessary evil, but I Think there's just too much weight placed on it I think more weight should be placed on how you are as a physician and How you are with your patients? Because there are a lot of good physicians out there who aren't necessarily good test takers, but are You would love to go to as your physician, but anyways, I just want to tell you guys about my experience today I'm officially done with this test and it is what time is it? It is 9 45 And I'm gonna go home and actually continue to study for my boards. Also. What's ironic is is I was thinking about how this isn't a woe is me type video and You know, I feel like you had to put in the work For something valuable and my uncle Robert used to always say it stuck with me since I was a little kid He said nothing easy is worth a damn and All these tests are worth it in the end It's just they're just milestones. You just have to meet them pass them go through it and eventually you don't have to worry about it ever again And the funny part is is he actually just texted me right now Uncle Robert text to me as I was about to say that exact line. That's crazy Honestly, I don't really even understand the point of this video I guess it was kind of like a rant on how many exams we have to take as physicians and Throughout our medical training. Anyways, if you liked this video, leave a comment below if I liked it I'll respond to it Otherwise smash that like a subscribe button and I will see you guys on the next video