I Passed Step 2 CS, One of the Toughest Exams I’ve Had

When I opened my score report I coulnd’t believe when I saw PASS.

Thanks for the support of everybody, especially my wife and baby, my nephew, the rest of my family, Babak, Nikolai, Y.S. from prep4md (sorry I still don’t know your full name), Alberto from medicalpills, Bioguy, and the great prep4usmle forum.

Cheers!

After the exam

Mistakes I made:

1. I was very nervous before the exam and slept only 1 hour.

2. I wanted to know more and was studying thinks that are not important for the exam. Didn’t had to go into details that much. I had to learn the symptoms and the DD for these symptoms, instead of following FA and UW case by case and trying to memorize the way they present the cases, DD, and the workup. Even csprotocol blog is full with too much information to remember. Big time mistakes. I had to make general strategy with very simple questions and to follow this pattern.

3. Despite the fact that I practice on my communication skills, I made some mistakes because of the crazy speed on the exam. I had to practice more on this instead of figuring out ways to remember how to ask all the questions for specific case.

4. The exam is 90% general performance and 10% medical knowledge. I did it the other way around. Stupid, but fact.

5. Some of the Pts had really weird roles and there were 2 cases I couldn’t figured out where the catch is. I had to spent more time on working to find out what they want to tell me, and to try anything to make them feel better.

6. I seems like there is no better way to know more about the CS exam than go and try how the exam works.

There will be more.

Few days before the exam

I don’t feel that well prepared as I was for step 1, but I will try to do my best. These are my 3 important things to follow.

1. Mantra for the exam: do your best, be confident, and look at the eye. I will keep repeating this until the exam comes.

2. If the case starts going in the wrong direction, don’t panic, just return the case to the previous stable level. Think about the tennis players. I have seen so many games when one of the players is so close to loose the game but he gets his act together, and finally wins the game.

3. Nobody will judge you if you fail. Many people screw up in front of the whole nation, but they don’t care. They keep doing what they like and don’t think in a negative way about themself.

4. The patient needs help, so help him. You have to believe that you are helping the patient and he will feel better.

5 days

5 more days only. I am looking forward to finish with this exam and to continue with the rest of the exams.

I talked to George from Ottawa and he gave me some good information about observerships aka elections.

Information to remember: selection comity, Dr. Chernovski, 2wks observership, but 1 month is the best.

6 days

I finished with FA, and started reading some of the cases from UW like heel pain, insomnia. For tomorrow I have to do terminal cancer Pt counseling, palpitations, spells, vomiting.

7 days

I did 5 cases today.

Finished with the short version of the PE.

8 days

I practiced 5 cases from FA. The exam is very close now. I am going to start practicing on concentration and confidence.

9 days

Today I practiced only 3 cases for fatigue. I was tired, and decided to slow down a bit, and to increase the hours of studying in the last 5 days.

10 days

Today I practiced with Babak, and I couldn’t do very well some cases. I need more practice. I know there are only 9 days left, but I will try to do my best and improve as much as I can.

11 days

For the first time today I got the feeling that I know what I am doing. Of course, that doesn’t mean that I will slow down. No, I have to increase the speed and hours I spend studying. It is a little bit tiring though, but I gotta keep the pace.

What I did today:

1. 5 cases with Nikolai. Feedback: I spend too much time for the HPI questions, than I am in a rush and spend less time in the physical exam and miss some important things. I reduced the length of my counseling, and I think I did it well few times.

2. Don’t forget to ask for Ca2+ supplements any elderly woman and for osteoporosis.

3. Try again the short version of the neuro exam.