Imagine having spent 4 years of college, 4 years of medical school, countless tens of thousands of dollars on tuition and books in an effort to getting a residency. Imagine if you actually did well on all the other exams but failed only one and now you are not getting interviews. It’s even more painful when you learn that exam was one of the more straightforward exams to study for, and requires nothing more than readily available medical knowledge, practice and organization. If you are wondering what exam I am talking about, it’s known as Step 2 CS. Step 2 CS has recently become one of the most difficult of the 4 USMLE® exams, and students are frequently taking it for granted. This error has led to many students actually failing the exam.
Last week, I met a student who fit the exact story above; she had plans to apply for OB/GYN at various programs across the country but received no interviews. When I asked her what had happened she mentioned having failed the Step 2 CS and needing to sit for it again. She was not sure if this was the reason, but when speaking to various experts in the field; it is quite likely the reason why she was not offered any interviews. What is even worse is she was someone who actually had very good three-digit scores on the remainder of her exams. She is now in a position to have to retake Step 2 CS and sit for Step 3 in order to strengthen her exam; a position one never wants to be in.
So how can we avoid getting pinched by the CS exam and come out on top? Well it’s quite easy, to be honest, and can be done through following these 5 simple pieces of advice when preparing for the step 2 CS.
#1 Learn to type. The new Step 2 CS note is digital and requires you to be able to type a quick and efficient note. If you type like grandma, then it’s going to be difficult to complete the note in the 25 minutes allotted for each case.
#2 Learn Focused Physicals. Not every patient with abdominal pain needs a full neuro exam. Remember keep your exams focused and to the case. You can save time that way.
#3 Know your differentials. Knowing the key buzzwords for the prototypic cases are necessary to nail the diagnosis. If they present a patient with RUQ pain in a fertile forty female who happens to be obese (fat) – you know its cholecystitis.
#4 Be humble and warm to the patient. Remember empathy is something many medical associations feel is lost in patient encounters in the new “generation” and is something the boards want you to demonstrate to your patient.
#5 Practice Practice and Practice. There are numerous courses and books, some even offered by Kaplan that allows you to practice real live case simulations. If the first time you practice a case is on test day; current data has shown there is a high correlation with failure on Step 2 CS. Therefore get a friend and practice early and often!
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