The United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) was established to ensure that doctors know the proper ways to prevent and treat all kinds of illnesses in the United States. The USMLE does not test everything that you have studied in medical. Rather, it tests you on the major topics and how you will deal with them if presented.
All test-takers should be familiar with the 3 P’s (Physiology, Pathology, and Pharmacology). These are the normal, abnormal, and treatments of the abnormal.
The specialty that is the most commonly tested is Cardiology. This includes how the heart affects all the other systems throughout the body, including Pulmonology and Renal. All other topics are questioned but this is the most likely tested. Know how the 3 P’s will affect both adults and children. This includes Microbiology, which is the cause for most Pathology and the reason for the Pharmacology. Know the ‘drug’ that will treat each ‘bug’ tested.
Neurology is becoming the fastest growing topic on the USMLE, so be familiar with not only the names and function of the nerves and tracts throughout the body but know how the normal and abnormal nervous system looks on scans, such as a MRI.
Knowing these crucial topics will ensure the passing of your USMLE Steps. The more you know of these and all the other specialties will increase your score and percentile on your examination. To stay abreast with current trends follow us here.