About the Author

Vivien Chen, MD

How to Match into a Dermatology Residency Program in 2025

15 min

18751 Views

students in a lab after matching into dermatology residency program

18751 Views

The NRMP Program directors survey “at a glance” tool is extremely helpful in gauging where your application packet stands compared to the applicant pool. Here are the major components to consider when applying into Dermatology.

Everything You Need to Know About the Transitional (TY)/Preliminary (PY) Residency Programs

16 min

431 Views

A med school student sitting in front of a laptop in a living room, filling out a transitional residency year application.

431 Views

After a long road, you are finally embarking on the residency application process! When planning your application and future training goals, information, and new “lingo” on the different types of residency positions out there can be overwhelming. It may be hard to know where to begin. From categorical versus advanced...

How Long Is Residency by Specialty?

13 min

1662 Views

A group of medical residents in their chosen specialty, smiling and wearing scrubs in a hospital.

1662 Views

Residency is a stage of medical training that, in the US, is completed after medical school. As post-graduate medical education, residency training ranges in length depending on what field you are training for. Additionally within each field, there are opportunities to specialize even further through an added few years of...

USMLE Step 3 2024 Exam Dates and Costs

7 min

8299 Views

A doctor wearing a lab coat holding a graduation cap after having completed his USMLE Step 3 exam.

8299 Views

USMLE Step 3 is the final exam in the series for obtaining a medical license. In this blog, we'll discuss the USMLE Step 3 2024 exam dates, costs, registration, and required materials.     USMLE Step 3 Format   Unlike the prior two Step exams, Step 3 is administered over...

Two New CCSSA NBMEs Are Coming for USMLE Step 2 CK

8 min

7617 Views

A medical student taking a USMLE Step 2 CK practice test in a library un front of a computer.

7617 Views

The NBME (National Board of Medical Examiners) is releasing new CCSSAs (Comprehensive Clinical Science Self-Assessment) forms this spring on May 22nd, 2023.  What do two new Step 2 CK NBMEs mean for your study plan?    There are a few different factors that can be helpful in predicting your Step...

USMLE Step 3 Passing Score & What To Do If You Don’t Make It

6 min

10185 Views

A frustrated resident in a lab coat looking at an open laptop.

10185 Views

What is a Passing Score on USMLE Step 3?   Currently, the passing score for Step 3 is 198. Per the USMLE website, that typically translates to getting about 60% of questions correct on the exam. This can be a good marker to use when completing practice questions and helps...

You Just Found Out Your USMLE Step 2 CK Score! Now What?

7 min

5998 Views

An excited medical school student sitting in front of a computer after having found out his Step 2 CK score.

5998 Views

Congratulations on completing USMLE Step 2 CK! After waiting for several weeks the Step 2 CK score release day is here! What are the next steps that you need to consider?   When is the Step 2 CK Score Release?   If you still don't know what your Step 2...

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