USMLE Step 2 CS
Prepare for USMLE Step 2 CS
Prepare with NYCSPREP in an exam-like setting with real standardized patients.-
Experienced Faculty
Get training and review of patient notes from a highly experienced team of MDs who have taught and guided 5500+ students over the last decade.
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Medical School Affiliations
Know the value of our USMLE prep courses through the trust several medical schools have put in us by being affiliated to us.
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SPs & Mock Tests
Improve your knowledge, practice effective patient interaction, and familiarize yourself with pressure in a real-world exam like environment.
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A Comprehensive 3 Days Workshop
Prepare for the most challenging step of USMLE through the workshop that assesses your clinical skills and interpersonal skills to face the challenge confidently.
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Practice Before/After Course
Use our brand-new center to practice before and after the course with serious study partners or SPs, and have your notes reviewed as needed by Dr Somas or one of our tutors.
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Find a Suitable Study Partner at the Center
Practice patient encounters with a study buddy, gain more experience and better your chances of clearing CS in your first attempt itself.
About the Course
NYCSPREP guides you at every step on how to prepare for each of the three subcomponents of USMLE Step 2 CS; namely Integrated Clinical Encounter (ICE), Communication and Interpersonal Skills (CIS), and Spoken English Proficiency.
Our course is designed to help you get familiar with the exam environment, giving you ample opportunities to demonstrate your practical clinical skills. Several standardized patient (SPs) encounters, practice sessions, feedback from SPs, time management strategies, and step-by-step instructions will prepare and enhance your clinical skills.
Additionally, your interpersonal skills will also improve for better patient interaction to help you enhance your ability to diagnose and all this will be assessed to help you improve even further during the course.
NYCSPREP Step 2 CS Workshop
Up to 12 Clinical Cases
NCYSPREP has perfected the content and strategies that will help you take patient history and communicate effectively with the patient. The mock test allows you to assess your readiness for the Step 2 CS exam and provides you the practice you need to face the real exam.
Standardized Patient Encounters
Each standardized patient interaction will be of up to 15 minutes. There will be a feedback session at the end of each patient interaction, which will be guided by the physician and the standardized patient.
Performance Feedback Report
You’ll be given a detailed feedback of how you were assessed by the standardized patients and the physicians who reviewed your patient notes. You’ll be provided with continued support at no additional cost until you go for your test.
Schedule
Friday 8:30 AM to 7:30 PM
- A detailed introduction into the Step 2 CS Prep Course, with emphasis on up to date changes, including those proposed in 2018.
- Case Presentations & Demonstrations with Real Standardized Patients. Get to see how a full case needs to be done.
- Patient Notes. You will be taught how the notes are graded, and on how to type a precise note.
- Physical Examination Workshop: Learn how to do a focused physical exam, and impress the SPs.
Saturday 8:30 AM to 7:30 PM
- Review & Practice of Physical Exam.
- Up to 10 Group Cases with our Standardized Patients, covering the entire gamut of cases you can see in the real test.
- Will address focused History and Physical, Challenges, Timing, Closure, Counseling, for each case.
- Focus on Effective Communication and Interpersonal Skills.
- You will type Patient Notes on our Step2cs.com system, throughout the day and have your notes reviewed or given sample notes to compare. End of the day, you should have a clear idea of how to type a concise patient note.
Sunday 8:30 AM to 7:30 PM (3 Sessions)
- Held at our state-of-the-art OSCE center designed to mimic CS exam centers and test day like experience.
- The mock consists of 6 to 12 encounters, designed to provide a broad exposure to commonly seen cases and challenge situations.
- One-on-one feedback from every Standardized Patient at the end of each encounter.
- Patient note review by MD.
- Review Class for all encounters including question and answer session.
- Comprehensive Performance Report to assess overall test day readiness.
Choose Your Package
(Includes 2 hours of Private SP Sessions)
FAQs
The USMLE Step 2 CS (Clinical Skills) exam tests your ability to effectively communicate with patients, conduct relevant physical examinations, take patient notes and correctly explain your findings to patients and physician. Step 2 CS is an interactive full-day assessment of your clinical skills and your ability to show compassion while communicating with patients. You’ll examine actors who pretend to be patients (standardized patients) with specific health conditions.
Practicing more with a study partner, a friend or a medical student is the best way to study for USMLE Step 2 CS. The conversation in English is a must. While practicing with a study buddy, it is important that a complete patient encounter and note taking is practiced. Enrolling in a USMLE Step 2 CS also prepares you for the exam by offering a real-exam environment with live patient simulation experience, constant feedback, and practice sessions. Watching USMLE Step 2 CS video can help you to learn how to conduct yourself while interacting with the standardized patients.
You can choose the city as per your comfort and convenience of the commute. USMLE Step 2 CS examinations have the same level of difficulty and the same criteria for a candidate’s individual assessment irrespective of the city they choose to appear for the exam. The examination centers are decided to cover the entire country. USMLE Step 2 CS registration can be done at the following centers:
- Atlanta, Georgia.
- Chicago, Illinois.
- Houston, Texas.
- Los Angeles, California.
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
For a single step in USMLE, a student can make a maximum of six attempts.
Application for ECFMG Certification fee is $75 and Step 2 CS examination fee is $1,565.
Most students, who have cleared Step 2 CS, recommend studying for 3-6 weeks before the exam with average study hours of 4 per day. However, preparation time is different for each individual.
Although online USMLE Step 2 CS videos and reading material help a great deal, they are not enough. Step 2 CS assesses your English skills to determine whether you can effectively communicate with your patients. Therefore, it is important to know what to say and how to say it.
If you are an IMG, you should consider practicing and reviewing extra so that you are confident to ace the exam. The best thing to do is look for a USMLE Step 2 CS prep course that will help you to use empathy to build rapport and gain patient’s trust.
Yes. In fact, One to One Coaching for USMLE Step 2 CS Exam will allow you to have a remarkable experience with standardized patients. A curriculum will be designed for you keeping in mind your goals, your experience level, and your learning style.
For Patient notes – you can submit upto 25 notes on our online system and it will be evaluated by our tutors who are skilled in assisting our students with their patinet notes.
The Step 2 CS examination consists of 12 patient encounters and lasts approximately 8 hours.
You are expected to communicate with the standardized patients in a professional way while being empathetic and responsive during the entire time you are with them. Once that’s done, you are expected to complete a patient note. You are supposed to cover all situations likely to happen in a clinic or hospital of a physician practicing in the US. You’ll be accessed on these categories:
- Women’s health
- Constitutional
- Gastrointestinal
- Cardiovascular
- Genitourinary
- Neurological
- Musculoskeletal
- Psychiatric
- Respiratory
No. Step 1 and Step 2 CK are graded based on how many answers you get right, which then translates into a score. However, Step 2 CS is rated by the standardized patients you interacted with and by physicians who reviewed your notes. They have absolutely no knowledge of your scores in Step 1 and Step 2 CK.
To be eligible for USMLE Step 2 CS, you must be in one of the following categories:
- a medical student officially enrolled in, or a graduate of, a US or Canadian medical school program leading to the MD degree that is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), or
- a medical student officially enrolled in, or a graduate of, a medical school that is outside the US and Canada, listed in the World Directory of Medical Schools as meeting ECFMG eligibility requirements, and that meets other eligibility criteria of the ECFMG, or
- a medical student officially enrolled in, or a graduate of, a US medical school leading to the DO degree that is accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA)
Most students take Step 2 CS in their fourth year. Step 2 CS is the only portion of the USMLE that is not taken on a computer. Many students prefer to take the exam late in the clinical years of their medical school journey as by the fourth year they have more clinical experience. These things, along with USMLE prep help give them the experience and confidence needed to pass Step 2 CS.
Yes, it is mandatory and compulsory not only for international medical graduates (IMGs) but also for American graduates.
It actually depends on which specialty you are applying for. If you fail Step 2 CS, your chances of getting surgical residencies or competitive residencies like radiology will decrease. However, you still may have a good chance of getting through other residencies such as IM, FM, Psychology, and Pathology.
