Blog - The Pass Machine

What’s on USMLE Step 1?

May 26, 2023 by Simon Padanilam Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam, USMLE Tags: USMLE, usmle qbank, USMLE step 1

Taking Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Examination Any medical student hoping to become a doctor in the United States must take the United States Medical Licensing Examination USMLE as part of their medical education requirements. This rigorous exam consists of three “steps” designed to test a student’s knowledge and determine if they are ready to become a physician in the United States. This licensing exam is also required for physicians who are medical school graduates and medical… READ MORE

USMLE Step 3 Exam: How to Optimize Your Performance on Test Day

May 19, 2023 by Nicole A. Colwell, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam, USMLE Tags: USMLE, USMLE Step 3, USMLE Step 3 exam

USMLE Step 3 is the final assessment first-year residents take before they can practice medicine independently. The exam assesses a physician’s knowledge of advanced clinical medicine and is different from the other two USMLE examinations taken in medical school. The experience of sitting for Step 3 of the USMLE will be distinct from that of Steps 1 and 2. The most striking difference is that the exam is administered over the course of two separate days. Each day has its… READ MORE

USMLE Step 3: What’s on It?

May 12, 2023 by Shaun Kink, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam, USMLE Tags: passing the USMLE, Step 3 Content, USMLE Step 3, USMLE Step 3 examples

The USMLE Step 3 is the final examination first-year residents need to pass to practice medicine independently. Step 3 assesses a practitioner’s knowledge of advanced clinical medicine and is vastly different from the other two USMLE examinations, so interns should know what to expect and how to prepare to face examination committees. How Is USMLE Step 3 Different? The biggest difference between the Step 3 exam and the other two USMLE exams taken in medical school is that it is… READ MORE

The USMLE Step 2 CK Score

May 5, 2023 by Shaun Kink, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam, USMLE Tags: understanding USMLE score, USMLE Score, USMLE Step 2 CK

Each United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step exam is scored differently. Understanding what your score means and how it is calculated can help you prepare in a more focused way. Understanding your USMLE Step 2 CK score Scores for the USMLE Step 2 exam range from 1 to 300. However, a 300 has never been achieved. Although scores across steps (such as between Step 1 and Step 2 CK) are not comparable, each step’s exam scores are statistically adjusted… READ MORE

What’s the Difference Between COMLEX and USMLE?

April 27, 2023 by Nicole A. Colwell, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam, USMLE Tags: complex, medical licensing exams, USMLE, usmle vs complex

USMLE vs COMLEX: Is one exam for MD students and the other for DO students? It’s not that simple. Traditionally speaking, osteopathic medical students have been required to take the COMLEX (Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination) to be eligible for licensure, whereas allopathic medical students are required to take the USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Exam) in order to obtain their medical license. However, the situation is more complex. As a medical student, taking board examinations serves a dual purpose… READ MORE

What is “Irregular Behavior” on the USMLE? How do I avoid it?

April 21, 2023 by Simon Padanilam Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam, USMLE Tags: board exam prep, how to pass the USMLE, how to study for the boards, USMLE, USMLE exam prep, USMLE Step 2CK

What is “irregular behavior?” The USMLE examinations are tightly regulated and have a high level of security in place to maintain the integrity of its content and ensure their value in assessing candidates for medical licensing. As a result, there are certain actions of examinees that can be flagged as “irregular1” and may be sent for review by the NBME’s Committee for Individualized Review (CIR). If the committee determines that the action in question compromises the examination’s integrity, a temporary… READ MORE

How to Study for USMLE Step 2: 6 Tips for Success

April 13, 2023 by Shaun Kink, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam, USMLE Tags: exam prep, study tips, USMLE Step 2, USMLE Step 2CK

Now that USMLE Step 1 is a pass/fail exam, many residency programs will put greater importance on your USMLE Step 2 CK score. Earning a high score on this national board exam will help set you apart from other students and applicants. This article will focus on six tips on how to study for Step 2. Tip #1: Start Your Study Preparations at the Start of Clinical Rotations Many medical students often wonder how to prepare for the Step 2… READ MORE

What you need to know about the November 2020 update to the Step 2 CK exam

April 6, 2023 by Shaun Kink, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam, USMLE Tags: HIPAA, USMLE exam, USMLE Physician Tasks/Competencies outline, USMLE Step 2 CK, USMLE topics

As of November 11, 2020, the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 2 clinical knowledge (CK) exam will increase the percentage of questions assessing the social sciences of examinees. What questions are included in the social sciences? The social sciences, or “soft skills,” will test an applicant’s knowledge of legal and ethical issues, professionalism, systems-based practices, and patient safety. These questions will consist of a particular concept, such as professionalism, rooted in a clinical situation. Such questioning aims to… READ MORE

Step 2 CK Content

March 31, 2023 by Michael Sapko, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam, USMLE Tags: board exam, career options, clinical knowledge, how to pass the USMLE, residency options, Step 2 CK, USMLE, USMLE Content, USMLE Step 2, USMLE Step 2CK

Learn More About USMLE Step 2 Content Now that Step 1 of the United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) has become a pass/fail exam, your USMLE Step 2 CK score is more important than ever in deciding your medical residency and career options. In this article, we will review the content on Step 2 of the USMLE clinical science and knowledge examination. USMLE Step 2 CK Content Outline The main goal of the USMLE Step 2 CK examination is to… READ MORE

10 USMLE Tips to Ace the Exams

March 30, 2023 by Simon Padanilam Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam, USMLE Tags: USMLE exam, USMLE prep, USMLE prep courses, USMLE step 1, USMLE Step 2, USMLE Step 3, USMLE tips?

The USMLE Step exams can be difficult not just in content but in terms of USMLE preparation and learning how to effectively use the resources at your disposal. In this article, we break down the top 10 tips to most effectively help medical students achieve their goals and find USMLE success. Tip 1: Create a study schedule and plan at least six months before your test date The most common issue we encounter is students who do not create an… READ MORE

A Perfectionism That Will Kill Your Exam Performance

August 12, 2022 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam Tags: exam performance challenges, How to Prepare For Your Board Exam, medical board preparation, perfectionism

This week we completed our 5-Day Psychiatry Board Prep Course in Chicagoland. (It was great to see and speak with so many colleagues there.) At the course I received several questions from our attendees about what turns out to be a single problem described in different ways. The problem is a manifestation of one type of perfectionism. It arises as a feeling of a strong need to get complete and/or definitive information about a case described in an exam case… READ MORE

The World’s Biggest USMLE Step 2CK QBank Now Available

June 4, 2021 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, USMLE Tags: USMLE

Our QBank team has been hard at work over the last several months developing, compiling, and vetting our new USMLE Step 2 CK QBank for medical students. It’s not just any old QBank, though – it’s the world’s largest medical education QBank for the USMLE Step 2 CK exam. It includes 4,200+ multiple-choice questions written specifically for the USMLE Step 2. Because of the quality of these exam-reflective MCQs with explanations, we guarantee that users of The Pass Machine USMLE… READ MORE

Advice When Waiting for Your Medical Board Exam Results

November 8, 2019 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: american physician institute, board exam prep, jack krasuski, the pass machine, waiting for board exam results, waiting for test results

We’ve had tens of thousands of physicians take our board prep courses and this is what I learned about the weeks waiting for exam results: there is a weak relationship between how you think you did on the exam and whether you passed. Hundreds of times, exam-takers have emailed me feeling terrible about how “horribly” they did, only to find out that they passed. It’s normal to leave an exam feeling uncertain or discouraged. This occurs because: Often the biggest… READ MORE

Treatments in Specific Patient Populations for Cardiology

October 18, 2019 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Cardiology Tags: cardiology board prep, cardiology board test prep, cardiology boards, cardiology practice board exams

The majority of the questions on cardiology medical board exams are focused on treatment since the reason patients see a cardiologist is to obtain appropriate treatment. The aspects of treatment tested by the specialty board exams include: Details of particular treatment options Treatment interventions by disease variant and in specific patient populations Treatment algorithms This post aims to understand how to choose the correct treatment for a specific patient population or disease form. The writer of the cardiovascular disease board… READ MORE

The Hospitalist Lifestyle: A Cause for Early Burnout?

October 9, 2019 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: doctor burnout, early burnout, hospitalist burnout, hospitalist lifestyle, physician burnout, the pass machine

As we move away from the traditional internist and continue to separate the inpatient realm from the outpatient, hospitalist scheduling remains controversial. Through my own job searches, I have seen many scheduling models. Seven on, seven off remains common, but many groups are moving away from this in favor of more lifestyle-friendly schedules. Working seven consecutive days can be exhausting and may lead to early burnout. It also leaves little time for family, exercise, or hobbies outside of work during… READ MORE

The Willie Sutton Board Review Strategy

September 20, 2019 by Robert Sheeler, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: board exam prep, board exam prep tips, board exam study, board exam study prep, board exam study tips, board exam studying, board review test prep, bob sheeler, dr robert sheeler, how to prepare for the family medicine boards, prep for boards, prep for family medicine boards, the pass machine, willie sutton

Many of you know the quotation from Willie Sutton when asked why he robbed banks he replied: “Because that’s where the money is.” When seeing patients or studying for the board exam, it is equally true that time IS money. So you need to go where the money is! So, what conclusions does that lead to in terms of what are reasonable study aids you can use to focus your time efficiently? Courses and practice exams from American Physician Institute… READ MORE

Treatments in Specific Pediatric Patient Populations

September 12, 2019 by Jack Krasuski, MD Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Pediatrics Tags: patient populations, pediatric board prep, pediatric patients, peds board exam, peds board prep, peds boards, peds qbank, proper sleeping habits, the pass machine

Medical board exams include questions in several different areas. A large percentage of these questions are focused on treatment interventions as an appropriate treatment that a physician is expected to provide to the patients. Three main aspects of treatment are generally tested on the specialty board exams. These include: Features of specific treatment interventions Treatments provided to specific patient populations and to patients with specific disease variants Treatment algorithms The purpose of this post is to help understand the importance… READ MORE

Board Study Strategies and How You Learn

September 6, 2019 by Emil Ebner, DO Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts Tags: board exam prep, board exam prep tips, board exam study tips, board exam studying, dr emil ebner, emil ebner do, how you learn, learning strategies, study tips for boards, what type of learner are you

The prospect of taking a board examination can be one of the most daunting endeavors in medical education. Regardless of your level of training, the time, money, effort, and stress related to board examinations intermittently become the primary focus of your life. Some individuals appear to be “great test takers” and can breeze through these exams with ease. On the other hand, some might appear to be “horrible test takers” because they struggle at every attempt. For most of us,… READ MORE

Ace the Boards: Tips and Tricks for Before, During, and After Board Exams

August 23, 2019 by Holly Smith, DO Leave a Comment Categories: All Posts, Board Exam Tags: board exam prep, board exam prep tips, board exam study prep, board exam study tips, board exam tips, do, dr holly smith, holly smith, the pass machine, what to do after board exam, what to do before the board exam, what to do during exam, what to do during my board exam

Let’s face it; the board exam is a one-day test. However, it is so much more than a one-day experience for medical students. No matter what your specialty, preparation for your board exam begins months to years before the test day. The experience of that day will live with you for months to years, even after you finish board exams. Here are some strategies to implement during your medical education, before, during, and after the exam to have the best… READ MORE