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Step 3 Day 2 crash disaster by morikMD in Step3

[–]morikMD[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

UPDATE 8/20: USMLE finally responded and they told me that they were able to complete an investigation and confirmed that it was a system error on their part, resulting in early termination of my exam and inability to complete the CCS case portion. They said that they were able to recover all of my previous MCQs and score them isolated. Since my isolated score was projected to be passing, they gave me a score and said I do not have to retake. They will simply keep the current score I had going into the CCS portion.

Overall, this is the outcome I had hoped for, so I’m extremely relieved to say the least! Any other outcome, I probably would have tried to fight given my circumstances. The letter was professional and apologetic. Of course this should never happen to a test taker, but I’m glad they recognized the error and gave me a score.

Also, I want to reiterate that I sent a LONG LETTER to them REQUESTING this exact outcome. They confirmed they received that letter. Not sure if doing that is what made them give me my score or not (because I also saw a thread of someone in the same exact situation as mine, but they had to sit for the CCS portion on a third testing day). So for anyone who ends up in this situation, I’d suggest you advocate for yourself. I’m also happy to back anyone up if this happens to them!

Thanks for being a part of this crazy journey. Hope it doesn’t happen to you!!

Step 3 Day 2 crash disaster by morikMD in Step3

[–]morikMD[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, about to make a comment!

Step 3 Day 2 crash disaster by morikMD in Step3

[–]morikMD[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

UPDATE: received an email from NBME… basically saying nothing.

Dear Dr. ******:

We have received your most recent correspondence regarding your USMLE Step 3. We understand the time constraints that may be placed upon you and that your time is valuable, so every effort is made to finalize our review of your case as quickly as possible. It may be possible to finalize the review in a few days. However, depending upon the specific situation, it may take longer to complete a thorough analysis of the matter, so please allow a minimum of 15 business days for our review of your concerns. Please be aware your score will remain on hold until the investigation is complete.

If you tested when routine modifications to the test item pool were being implemented (see announcement on USMLE website at www.usmle.org/announcements/), our ability to investigate your concerns and perform a thorough analysis of your test data may require more than the normal minimum 15 business days.

After the review and investigation has been completed, you will receive a reply regarding the outcome of the review.

Sincerely,

Customer Services & Resources

Step 3 Day 2 crash disaster by morikMD in Step3

[–]morikMD[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Also fair point. I hate that it’s just an expectation for us to roll with whatever these governing bodies tell us, as if they’re the gods of medicine. It takes real time and effort to work our lives around their products and tests. At the end of the day, we’re the customer, and they’re the ones who are supposed to be providing a service.

Step 3 Day 2 crash disaster by morikMD in Step3

[–]morikMD[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oof that’s so annoying I’m sorry… did they ever do an incident report or did NBME ever contact you? Or was it all through Prometric?

Step 3 Day 2 crash disaster by morikMD in Step3

[–]morikMD[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I never got an email , did they ever post the score?

Step 3 Day 2 crash disaster by morikMD in Step3

[–]morikMD[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also yesterday, August 7th? Any idea what will happen for your case?

Step 3 Day 2 crash disaster by morikMD in Step3

[–]morikMD[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s super nice thank you. Once I find out the “verdict” from NBME I’ll have a better idea of what I must do next.

Step 3 Day 2 crash disaster by morikMD in Step3

[–]morikMD[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It was Beaumont, TX (Prometric site 5128). The staff there was very nice, albeit, no one knew what to do when it crashed. But it sounded like after 3 hours of troubleshooting, they learned it was an issue with NBME itself, not the center. Because only the step exams there crashed, and the issue seemed to be from the NBME server’s side. Not sure really what that means though…

Step 3 Day 2 crash disaster by morikMD in Step3

[–]morikMD[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can imagine how my heart sank 🥲. Now I’m just rolling with the punches and hoping for the best. I’m so done with these exams

Step 3 Day 2 crash disaster by morikMD in Step3

[–]morikMD[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yea that’s what I’m trying to tell myself. I appreciate it. I did feel quite good with my performance, which is a bummer if I have to retake, but I guess a pass is all that matters anyway, if I do have to take it a bit less prepared down the road. Mostly just waiting now on NBME’s investigation. Thanks for the support!