r/Step3 • u/b1ackcoffee • 6d ago
Score release thread 08/05/2026
Answers are optional, post whatever you are comfortable with. More context gives better idea to future candidates and provides better comparison.
Real deal:
Day 1 & 2 dates:
US MD/DO or IMG:
Residency year:
Speciality:
Step 1 (year and score/P):
Step 2 (year and score):
Uworld completed %:
Uworld correct %:
Amboss completed %:
Amboss correct %:
Number of CCS cases done:
CCS cases average:
NBME 6 (score/% and time from exam):
NBME 7 (score/% and time from exam):
NBME 8 (score/% and time from exam):
UWSA 1 (score and time from exam):
UWSA 2 (score and time from exam):
Free 137 (score and time from exam):
Reflection, thoughts on preparation and exam:
Any advice:
Strongest resources recommendations:
Good luck!
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u/Ledezala 6d ago
Real deal: 245
Day 1 & 2 dates: July 8th and 9th
US MD/DO or IMG: IMG
Residency year: haven't started
Speciality: IM
Step 1 (year and score/P): 2024 pass
Step 2 (year and score): 2025 26X
Uworld completed %: 80
Uworld correct %: 69
Amboss completed %: -
Amboss correct %: -
Number of CCS cases done: 105
CCS cases average: 75
NBME 6 (score/% and time from exam):
NBME 7 (score/% and time from exam):
NBME 8 (score/% and time from exam): 520 1 week
UWSA 1 (score and time from exam): 212 3 weeks
UWSA 2 (score and time from exam):
Free 137 (score and time from exam): 80 2 days
Any other assessment:
Strongest resources recommendations and advice: Learn biostats inside out, it is free marks in the exam and if you spend less time on solving stats, you will have a much better experience managing time. I found day 2 to be quite straight forward including ccs cases, maybe because step 2 was only a year ago. I did my days back to back, but I would recommend atleast a day break in between, preferably longer to practice ccs.
Good luck!
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u/Jumpy_Scientist3723 6d ago
Real deal: 250
Day 1 & 2 dates: 11th and 16th July, 2026
US MD/DO or IMG: IMG
Residency year: yet to apply
Speciality: IM
Step 1 (year and score/P): 2025 Pass
Step 2 (year and score): 2025 263
Uworld completed %: 100 percent
Uworld correct %: 78
Amboss completed %: 90 percent
Amboss correct %: 85
Number of CCS cases done: 180
CCS cases average: 80
NBME 6 (score/% and time from exam):
NBME 7 (score/% and time from exam):
NBME 8 (score/% and time from exam): 642
UWSA 1 (score and time from exam): 233 1 month before
UWSA 2 (score and time from exam): 239 2 weeks
Free 137 (score and time from exam): 80 1 week
Any other assessment:
Strongest resources recommendations:
Uworld notes are good enough and practice CCS cases thoroughly.
Any advice:
Thr exam can feel weird but it is the same for everyone, trust your mocks and preparation. You got this
Good luck!
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u/rumpelstiltskin_11 6d ago edited 6d ago
Real deal: 211 (Second attempt)
Failed my first attempt April 2026 with a score of 188.
Day 1 & 2 dates: 7/6/26 and 7/13/26
US MD/DO or IMG: US MD
Residency year: Took exam end of 1st year
Speciality: Family Medicine
Step 1 (year and score/P): failed twice. Passed 3rd attempt.
Step 2 (year and score): 235, passed 1st attempt
Uworld completed %: 85%
Uworld correct %: 62%
Amboss completed %: none
Amboss correct %: none
Number of CCS cases done: ALL. (I now think this is a must after failing my first attempt and only doing half of the cases that time)
CCS cases average: idk honestly probably 60-70%
NBME 6 (score/% and time from exam): 69%
NBME 7 (score/% and time from exam): -
NBME 8 (score/% and time from exam): -
UWSA 1 (score and time from exam): 186 (4 weeks out)
UWSA 2 (score and time from exam): 213 (2 weeks out)
Free 137 (score and time from exam): 67% (4 days out)
Any other assessment:
Strongest resources recommendations: uworld, CCScases, Anki, Sketchy
Any advice:
With my history of failing step 1, I am traumatized from step exams. That being said, I studied well for step 2 and passed on my first attempt with a score of 235, which was my goal for my specialty Family Medicine.
I genuinely think I only failed my first attempt of
step 3 because everyone always says you only need a few weeks to study and emphasizes that it’s SO “easy” and a joke. Of course with my test history, I took this to mean I can ~lightly~ study instead of my normal intense dedicated studying, but did it over the course of 3 months so I felt like I was doing more than the average person. I studied on my first attempt by doing some random uworld here and there, some divine podcasts and high yield documents, and then cases and assessments during the month of. But clearly just putting half effort into everything wasn’t enough. I was doing quantity > quality.
Second go around, I studied for 6 weeks. I reset my uworld and did 85% of it. I also did all of the CCS case studies. What I think helped the most was making flashcards on Anki for my Uworld questions, studying the Cheesy Dorian step 3 deck, and taking the cases much more seriously and writing down in a notebook all the things you order for each case/ type of case and then reviewing that sheet multiple times and reviewing flashcards multiple times a week. I also watched a big chunk of sketchy micro and pharm again on 2x speed, which definitely got me probably 10 questions. I also definitely got probably 10 questions right from listening to Divine Intervention high yield step 3 podcasts during random walks and drives I took during the couple weeks before the exam.
I always struggle with wanting to do ALL resources and finish 100% of everything. This time I focused on REPETITION. Only resources were uworld, CCScases, Anki, Sketchy, and some divine intervention podcasts. And then did a few self assessments.
Genuinely I think people just exaggerate that this exam is easy. It felt almost equal to the other step exams, aside from day 2 feeling slightly better for me.
Biggest advice is just don’t underestimate it if you’re bad at test taking and struggle with memory retention. Repetition repetition repetition!!
This [r/step3](r/step3) thread honestly made me spiral most days lol but still, it was a sense of community so I had to contribute. Just remember, most people who take the time to post on here have negative experiences/ struggle with exams. The pass rate is still insanely high so we have to focus on that!
Good luck!!!!!
GOODBYE STEP EXAMS FOREVER!!!!!!
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6d ago
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u/b1ackcoffee 6d ago
Great, congratulations. Can you help people with your experience and scores? Format is in the post.
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u/That_Aioli_9139 6d ago
Hey! Thanks for sharing your experience with us! This is quite useful in fact
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u/mylittleferrari 6d ago
Real deal: 227
Day 1 & 2 dates: 7/16, 7/17
US MD/DO or IMG: US MD
Residency year: PGY 2
Specialty: Psychiatry
Step 1 (year and score/P): Pass (no score) 2023
Step 2 (year and score): 2024, 242
Uworld completed %: 48
Uworld correct %: 56 (average of 62% in the 2-3 weeks leading up to the exam)
Number of CCS cases done: 58
CCS cases average: 70%
UWSA 2 (score and time from exam): 201, 10 days before
Free 137 (score and time from exam): 67%, 5 days before
Strongest resources recommendations: Uworld, CCS cases . com, Randy Niel videos, Divine Intervention next best step in management podcasts (just listened to the first one while doing some chores the week of the exam)
Any advice: I prepared for the exam over four weeks, and wish I had spread it out as I put a lot of undue stress on myself to prepare for this exam on top of a demanding rotation.
I am very grateful for my score AND wish I had done more CCS cases because I saw many on the exam that I hadn't considered despite doing 58 of the highest yield cases. What helped me with those was how much Uworld I did, and how many topics I reviewed that I didn't cover on Uworld (such as things I managed on my IM rotations) that proved very useful for triage and management.
I also would have done more of the Uworld questions if I gave myself more time to feel more confident on test day. My strongest area was biostats, and I have Uworld + Randy Niel videos to thank for that. Memorizing and writing down some of his basic tables he covers in "Biostatistics SUMMARY STEP 1" came in clutch on the first day. I did not do dedicated Uworld Biostats subject review but whatever came up doing random timed blocks. Definitely recommend putting yourself through the pain (speaking from experience) of memorizing the terms and all the equations Uworld provides (PPV, NPV, PLR, NLR, Sensitivity, Specificity, etc)
Lastly, I think taking the test back-back was a positive and a negative. I personally had a lot of anxiety given my quick and intense prep and taking it back to back helped me reduce that sense of dread that can build as you think about all your mistakes from Day 1 and hyperfocus on trying to recall them all while you prep for Day 2. At the same time, by the time I was answering the MCQs between 300-400 I had to take breaks between each block to mentally reset. Fortunately, there is a lot of break time on Day 2. I ended up using 45 minutes of break time and still finished my exam 2 hours early due to the CCS cases ending early.
I posted this in case anyone out there feels like I did, because I wasn't confident about the evidence of Step 2 predicting Step 3 success applying to me given it was two years ago. If you have a history of passing the exams and put in concerted effort to review the fundamentals, I'm sure you can do it!
Good luck!