please can anyone advice if its possible to take step 2 exam at the beginning of 3rd year? I think that if its possible I might have to do this because I have babysitter problem and requested off my first rotation which is a 3 month long medicine rotation.

but I heard that since I am taking 3 months off now, I would have exhausted all my remaining med school vacation and come 4th year, I wont have anytime to study for my boards or go on residency interview. Is this true?

if this is so I am wondering if its at all possible to use some of my 3 months off to study for my boards and possibly take it during this time too.

I thought you needed to be in the last year of school, but maybe this has changed or only applies to FMGs. Check the USMLE website to see if you are eligible.

But, how could you be prepared without going through the rotations? I think you would be shortchanging yourself by taking it so early. Even if you don't have time off in fourth year, some electives are very easy and would leave you plenty of time to study!

Theoretically, you can take Step 2 anytime after taking and passing Step 1. However, I wouldn't suggest taking Step 2 prior to completing all your 3rd year rotations. Step 2 actually isn't all that difficult if you take it right when you finish 3rd year, when all the information is still fresh in your mind. It's nothing like Step 1- none of that obscure biochemical garbage or anything like that. It will test you basically on what you spent all of your 3rd year doing- evaluating and diagnosing patients in internal medicine, peds, surgery, OB/GYN, psych, and family medicine. The shelf exams my school gave at the end of each 3rd year rotation were GREAT preparation for Step 2, since they're written by the same people.
I didn't take any time off to study for Step 2 either- just did my studying during an easy 4th year elective (Surgery Clinic) and I did fine (and was very pregnant and nauseous at the time to boot, along with having a 2-year-old at home).

thanks a lot. I will just wait then to take it. Another issue though is how much time do I need for interviewing for residency? because theoretically now, after taking this 3 months then I would have used up all my free time.

Does your babysitter problem require that you take all three months off? If not, perhaps you could do a one month fourth year elective just before your return to third year, thus freeing up a block during fourth year for interviews. You might be able to convince them to let you do a research elective in that time. Or even a two week elective with another two week elective taken during fourth year would at least give you two free weeks.

How much time you need for interviews depends a lot on how many interviews you feel you need to take and how far away you're looking. I had it easy because I was staying local, so luckily the only time off I needed was for the interview day itself. At my school we could take up to five days off per block for interviews, and sometimes you could do make up work if you had to miss more than that. Ask recent graduates about which rotations would let you do that, then schedule those rotations for December and January, when most interviews happen.

As for Step 2, definitely don't take that until after third year. I think you would do far better taking it right after third year withOUT studying than you would taking it right after second year with a lot of studying (or such as you were able to do, at home with the kiddies).

thanks a lot!!! I will try out your suggested options

I used all my free time during 3rd year for maternity leave (we only got 2 months). I had plenty of time for boards study and interviewing in 4th year. Rotation directors know you are interviewing, and at least in my experience were very easy about letting you take days off to interview. Depending on the rotation, of course. Ask the upper levels at your school and see.