USMLE Step 3 - Examination Content

Examination Content

USMLE Step 3 examination tests on general topics that are required to understand and practice concepts of general medicine/ family medicine.

The following components are tested:

Normal conditions and disease categories (normal growth and development, basic concepts, and general principles)

Clinical encounter frame (initial work up, continuing care, urgent intervention)

Physician task (applying scientific concepts, formulating a diagnosis based on history, physical exam, and lab findings, and managing the patient).

Clinical encounter frames are common clinical scenarios physicians may encounter. They range from nonemergency problems, to the continuity of care, to life-threatening emergency situations encountered in emergency departments, clinics, offices, care facilities, inpatient settings, and on the telephone. Each test item, in an encounter frame, represents one of the six physician tasks. For example, initial care encounters emphasize taking a history and performing a physical examination. In contrast, continued care encounters emphasize decisions regarding prognosis and management.

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