USMLE Step 1... to write or not to write

[carebear15]

I'm entering third year and always thought I'd never need to write the USMLE but now I feel some pressure, only from myself - I feel like to be a true medical student I should write the test, and of course it would be useful if I ever considered doing a fellowship in the States. On top of this, my school recently subscribed to Exam Master so I feel like I should take advantage of such a great resource.

 

The problem is I've thought of this a little late, as I start clerkship in January so I better write the USMLE soon.

 

Do you think this would be worthwhile? Am I just being type A about this? I'm aiming for a decent score.

 

And as an aside, is Exam Master any good or is QBank still the way to go?

 

Also, would any Canadian school ever discriminate against you if they've seen you've written the USMLE and they think you want to go to the States? Sorry if this is a really dumb question).

 

Thanks for your advice.

[summervirus]

Hi, I think that you're a bit overly worked up about the exam. I don't think it's necessary to take the exam to be a "true medical student." The exam itself is pretty much basic science and not clinical. And, there are plenty of great doctors that have never taken the exam.

 

That said, I did choose to take the exam and I was told that QBank is the best resource for it. Exam Crackers, on the other hand, is sometimes rated better for Step 3. I don't know of any residency program that will discriminate against you for taking the USMLE. But, the result of your exam (at least whether it was a pass or fail) will be disclosed on your CaRMs application. So, unless you intend to go to the USA, you might be taking a risk by writing the exam that might not necessarily be worth it. The USMLE Step 1 is actually quite difficult just because the Canadian curriculum doesn't really cover the material well. So, most of the material is foreign and needs to be self-learned.

[EJL]

If you are interested in writing the USMLE, I would consider the following issues:

 

1. Is it worth the money to take the exam (it is $455 US dollars, not including study material)

2. Is it worth the time required to study (at least 4-6 weeks if you're interested in passing)

3. Is it worth the effort - i.e. will you pursue a residency in the US?

 

All I'm saying is - don't write it b/c you feel you have to, try to consider the other more important reasons. Maybe instead, you could allocate the time to doing a research project that might influence your choice of residency, or an elective for a similar reason....etc.etc.

 

Good luck, it's a tough exam for reasons noted in the previous post.

EJL

[blinknoodle]

It is also worthwhile considering the costs and time necessary to complete Steps 2-3 as well. Your scores will not be valid if you don't complete the entire set (Steps 1-3) within 7 years for most states (10 years if doing an MD/PhD).

[CutieYellow]

I wrote step 1 - it's an awful exam that i didn't find tested at all my abilities as a "doctor". It was all little details that we had to learn by heart and i can say that most of the stuff i had NEVER seen in my classes... So unless you plan on going to the USA - don't bother writing it.

 

(I wrote it because i figured we never know, who knows if some prince charming was gonna sweep me off my feet and buy me a mansion in California - but seeing how i'm getting married next yr and my significant other hates the USA - i don't plan on writing step 2-3 which pretty much means i put myself through step 1 for nothing, lol).

[muchdutch]

Are you the same CutieYellow that has the blog (I don't want to disclose where in case you don't want everybody to know)? I think you must be based on your comments...

[CutieYellow]

Oh, i have this site that i randomly write on, something like once every few months. Not much of a blog Hmmm stalking me ? hihihi.

[carebear15]

Thanks everyone for the insight and advice.

 

A lot of people have voiced that the USMLE tests things that nobody needs to know, and I used to think that but what's the harm in being well read in pharmacology, pathology, microbiology, etc.?

 

Like I said maybe I'm just being crazy...

 

Anyways I'm gonna read some books and see how it goes.

 

Thanks!

[DoNair]

The USMLE Step 1 is actually quite difficult just because the Canadian curriculum doesn't really cover the material well. So, most of the material is foreign and needs to be self-learned.

 

How does it work the reverse way? ie) A US-trained MD writing the Canadian exam equivalent of USMLE?

 

You state that the Canadian curriculum doesn't cover the USMLE material well. How do you think a US trained student would do on the Canadian exam? Are the curriculums that different in Canada and US? I thought that they they were very similar.

 

(The reason I ask is that I am an Canadian citizen studying in the US at an MD school and may have to return to Canada to do my residency.)

[summervirus]

I think that US students writing the LMCC (Canadian licensing exam) shouldn't have the same difficulty as Canadians writing the US exam. The reason is because the first two years of med school in the US is more heavily focused on the basic sciences, whereas over the past ten years or so, more and more, many Canadian schools have been moving away from the heavy emphasis on the basic sciences, with more focus on clinical knowledge.

 

For example, I'm from the UofA. The school underwent a complete curriculum change around 1999. The old curriculum taught the basic science subjects of anatomy, pathology, pharmacology, etc. as individual courses with a large emphasis on preclinical knowledge. On the other hand, the new curriculum touches on these subjects more lightly and focuses on clinical knowledge more heavily. As I understand it, the UofA was one of the last schools to change their curriculum in Canada. The other schools also made similar changes (and continue to do so).

 

The Canadian exam (LMCC) has two parts: part 1 is written and is similar to the USMLE part 2/3 written components; the LMCC part 2 is similar to the USMLE part 2 patient encounter exam. There is no Canadian equivalent to the USMLE part 1. As such, US students shouldn't really have a big surprise when writing our exams.

[mri]

Well, I wrote USMLE Step 1, Step 2 CK and CS.. And spent a lot of money in the process... Many state medical boards in the US no longer require the USMLE and will grant licensure if one is fully certified already in Canada (FRCS/P). As for doing residency there in the states, for sure you probably need to take the USMLE...

 

As for statements that the Canadian curriculum does not prepare one for the US boards - The reverse I would say is true. I found that I and the rest of my colleagues did just fine without studying specifically for the US exams - just be prepared for the canadian LMCC's and you'll do just fine on the USMLE. Of course, just familiarize yourself with their format. Having done both, LMCCs are more rigorous.

 

Virtually all people who take both their speciality (Royal College) and American Board exams in their fields also say our Canadian Royal College exams are far more rigorous than the American board exams. Canadians easily pass American board exams, but the reverse is not true.

[Kirsteen]

As for statements that the Canadian curriculum does not prepare one for the US boards - The reverse I would say is true. I found that I and the rest of my colleagues did just fine without studying specifically for the US exams - just be prepared for the canadian LMCC's and you'll do just fine on the USMLE. Of course, just familiarize yourself with their format. Having done both, LMCCs are more rigorous.

 

Virtually all people who take both their speciality (Royal College) and American Board exams in their fields also say our Canadian Royal College exams are far more rigorous than the American board exams. Canadians easily pass American board exams, but the reverse is not true.

Hi there,

 

Just a quick question with respect to the above: can you comment on the ways in which the LMCCs are more rigorous than the USMLEs? (I was considering writing USMLE Step 2 prior to my LMCC part 1 this year.)

 

Also, with respect to the Royal College and US board exams, there are a few Canadian residency programs which either offer or require that their residents sit the US boards before attempting the Canadian boards. So by completion of the Canadian Royal College exams, they are dually certified in their specialty.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[studentz]

I wrote step 1 - it's an awful exam that i didn't find tested at all my abilities as a "doctor". I.

 

Well, it's only supposed to test the first 2 years! Step one is becoming far more clinical in nature now, so much so that I've been told by friends in the US that Step 2 CK books are being used to prep for it.

 

As for step 1's importance, if you're going for a US residency it will be the most important exam you've ever written as the scores play a huge role in the US match.

[nowai]

Does reporting a well done USMLE in your CARMS application harm you more than it help?

[clive]

No... and on the CaRMS app, it will only say that you've completed and passed the exam, not a score. From what I've experienced, Canadian programs don't really give that part of your application a second glance (I reviewed A LOT of files last year).

 

As someone who is doing the written component of my Royal College Exam in internal medicine (today and tomorrow!), I can personally attest that the Canadian exam is more rigorous If you can pass your Canadian board exams, you should be able to do very well on the American Boards with no additional studying (and this is exactly what I intend to do). That holds for internal medicine anyway... can't speak personally about the other specialties, although I've heard similar things.

 

I'm not sure if you are referring to the board certification exam, but a recent graduate who wrote the USMLEs and MCCQEs told me that the USMLEs were more difficult.