Failed CS twice (US Graduate)

[DAKAZA]

I'm a recent US medical school grad and failed CS for the second time. I did well in medical school and never had any problems with clinical skills. I'm very frustrated because I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. Since the CS changes, the performance profiles are much more vague. It only shows performance in the three broad categories (ICE, CIS, SEP). It no longer shows performance in the subcategories (Data gathering, patient note, questioning skills, etc). I only know that I failed the ICE section and passed the other two.

This has been an absolute nightmare. It's an embarrassment to my family, friends, medical school and residency program. I matched into my first preference residency program and now I might loose the position. I feel that I need to do something extreme for my preparation this time around. I plan to take the very expensive live kaplan course. However, it's only six days long and I'm not confident that it will be sufficient. I've already read the FA book three times. Anyway, I would greatly appreciate any advice at all. Thanks!

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[Transposony]

You need to sit down with someone who can figure out what's wrong, preferably showing how you approach a case in a live setting. Kaplan course can certainly help build your confidence but I am not sure if you can gain a lot from it since you already had interaction with the real SPs during your test.

Where are you located? Maybe I can help having taken the Kaplan course and done the CS test recently (although still waiting for the results).

 

[CDI]

I think you should see if you can get someone at your med school to go to bat for you. NBME/USMLE is having serious issues when it comes to this exam.

The simple fact that you already got into residency speaks volumes about whats wrong with this entire process. The program and residency director obviously filter you, and they don't consider you inferior or inadequate in your abilities, even WITH your previous CS failure, yet SPs using checklists have enough power to possibly derail your career? If that's not a blatant money-grab, I don't know what is.

I remember reading about one US grad, born and educated who was failed in SEP. One of his programs attendings ripped NBME/USMLE a new one and they eventually passed him.

 

[myhandsarecold]

Oh sh**. Good thing you graduated and matched. I'd help you out if you were around my area. I hated that exam, almost cried when I found out I passed ( I was in the middle of an interview, heh ). Either way, you need to practice on people. I strategically scheduled my 4th year where I would have direct pt care prior to the exam (you'd be surprised how much clinical skills you lose within weeks, months). Read FA CS, memorize those ROS, HPI questions, and do the after visit screening tests, follow ups, teaching..

And be humanistic (hard to learn)

 

[SteinUmStein]

I think you should see if you can get someone at your med school to go to bat for you. NBME/USMLE is having serious issues when it comes to this exam.

The simple fact that you already got into residency speaks volumes about whats wrong with this entire process. The program and residency director obviously filter you, and they don't consider you inferior or inadequate in your abilities, even WITH your previous CS failure, yet SPs using checklists have enough power to possibly derail your career? If that's not a blatant money-grab, I don't know what is.

I remember reading about one US grad, born and educated who was failed in SEP. One of his programs attendings ripped NBME/USMLE a new one and they eventually passed him.

With the increased failure rates and decreased transparency of the new CS, they're going to end up failing the wrong person who has the right connections and they're going to be glad to have so much money socked away from all of us - they'll need it for the settlements. Seriously this test cannot stand as it is currently. I find it hard to believe it's lasted this long, and with the coming onslaught of failing AMG's who have otherwise passed every other exam and clinical rotation without issue, things are going to have to change.

At the very least we could get some feedback for our money...

 

[CDI]

They've done that but they have also been smart in avoiding lawsuits coming to see the light of day. If and when the precedent is set someday, it becomes a downhill spiral from there. Perfect example is how they managed to settle out of court with the 4 people who were wrongly failed and informed over a year later.

They basically said, "We're giving you four free cars. Now go away while we take money from other broke students instead."

 

[SteinUmStein]

They've done that but they have also been smart in avoiding lawsuits coming to see the light of day. If and when the precedent is set someday, it becomes a downhill spiral from there. Perfect example is how they managed to settle out of court with the 4 people who were wrongly failed and informed over a year later.

They basically said, "We're giving you four free cars. Now go away while we take money from other broke students instead."

True, they know they can't let it get that far or they're done. When you've got the NEJM publishing an article saying your multimillion dollar test is a waste of everyone's time and money on top of residency directors basically ignoring the test results, you know you're on thin ice. I almost feel bad for whoever is in charge of this mess, it's pretty hard to justify what they're doing.

I don't understand why they can't just standardize American medical schools' in-house clinical assessments that most or all of them do anyway. Our school does two different clinical assessments M2 and M4 year that both give us great feedback, give students the chance to remediate problem sections, and don't cost us thousands on top of the tuition we already pay. Heck, you can even watch your own video performance and see what to improve on in the future.

If they need to test an IMG's English, use the TOEFL. If they want to test interpersonal skills use clinical evals and interview them yourself. A 15 minute chat will tell you infinitely more about interpersonal skills than a CS pass/fail. A CS pass/fail tells me that a person can write a check or multiple checks and can learn to take an odd test and check enough boxes, and speak passable English I guess.

 

[CDI]

True, they know they can't let it get that far or they're done. When you've got the NEJM publishing an article saying your multimillion dollar test is a waste of everyone's time and money on top of residency directors basically ignoring the test results, you know you're on thin ice. I almost feel bad for whoever is in charge of this mess, it's pretty hard to justify what they're doing.

I don't understand why they can't just standardize American medical schools' in-house clinical assessments that most or all of them do anyway. Our school does two different clinical assessments M2 and M4 year that both give us great feedback, give students the chance to remediate problem sections, and don't cost us thousands on top of the tuition we already pay. Heck, you can even watch your own video performance and see what to improve on in the future.

If they need to test an IMG's English, use the TOEFL. If they want to test interpersonal skills use clinical evals and interview them yourself. A 15 minute chat will tell you infinitely more about interpersonal skills than a CS pass/fail. A CS pass/fail tells me that a person can write a check or multiple checks and can learn to take an odd test and check enough boxes, and speak passable English I guess.

They need to just set a flat fee of $3000 and get it over with. Screwing up peoples careers over an extra $1500 just doesn't seem right.

 

[SteinUmStein]

They need to just set a flat fee of $3000 and get it over with. Screwing up peoples careers over an extra $1500 just doesn't seem right.

I'd gladly write them a $3k check to auto-pass and not have to fly across the country and waste several days of my life, and not have to risk losing a career in a field I've already dumped incredible amounts of time and money into. Taking the test M4 year is just adding insult to injury after making it through the past 3 years. Let's all play Russian roulette with our livelihoods! 👎

 

[ajs321]

Where did you take the exam?

 

[CDI]

My bet is on Philly.

 

[ajs321]

I'd gladly write them a $3k check to auto-pass and not have to fly across the country and waste several days of my life, and not have to risk losing a career in a field I've already dumped incredible amounts of time and money into. Taking the test M4 year is just adding insult to injury after making it through the past 3 years. Let's all play Russian roulette with our livelihoods! 👎

This exam is quite dependent on who is performing the evaluation (IMO). Therefore I am inclined to believe that certain locations have different pass rates.

My bet is on Philly.

For example, I would bet the Atlanta and LA exam centers probably have higher passing rates. People from the South and West Coast tend to be friendlier. One hell of a generalization... I am aware.

But what have we learned in Medical School? If someone was working in a rose garden... do I need to even finish my question?

 

[asuka99]

that's really crazy, it seems like a lot of people are doing poorly on this exam (and are great students nonetheless) and worrying about this exam much more in general

i've been asked like 2 times this week already by friends who are concerned about cs

seems like nbme are failing almost everyone on interpersonal skills, which is so vague and you can really just grade however you want using that

they used to give a better breakdown of the score? of course they would remove something like that from the current score breakdowns. so much easier to do what you want without having to justify it.

i really hope this whole cs thing blows over because it is becoming quite ridiculous

sorry to hear about your misfortune my friend, im sure you don't need to be told but what i tell everyone who asks me is "be super friendly" maybe try a diff testing center? :/

 

[asuka99]

This exam is quite dependent on who is performing the evaluation (IMO). Therefore I am inclined to believe that certain locations have different pass rates.



For example, I would bet the Atlanta and LA exam centers probably have higher passing rates. People from the South and West Coast tend to be friendlier. One hell of a generalization... I am aware.

But what have we learned in Medical School? If someone was working in a rose garden... do I need to even finish my question?

do they get sporo? very confused lol =(

 

[SteinUmStein]

But what have we learned in Medical School? If someone was working in a rose garden... do I need to even finish my question?

As med schools continue to rework their curricula, I think a major emphasis needs to be placed on moving toward learning real, applicable clinical skills and useful clinical knowledge rather than constantly looking toward the next big standardized test. I should spend a tiny fraction of my time answering practice questions about sporotrichosis and tularemia compared to questions about GERD and stroke, for example.

 

[ajs321]

do they get sporo? very confused lol =(

Yep. You pass.

 

[ajs321]

As med schools continue to rework their curricula, I think a major emphasis needs to be placed on moving toward learning real, applicable clinical skills and useful clinical knowledge rather than constantly looking toward the next big standardized test. I should spend a tiny fraction of my time answering practice questions about sporotrichosis and tularemia compared to questions about GERD and stroke, for example.

And I couldn't agree with this more.

 

[justwannabeadoc]

I'm a recent US medical school grad and failed CS for the second time. I did well in medical school and never had any problems with clinical skills. I'm very frustrated because I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. Since the CS changes, the performance profiles are much more vague. It only shows performance in the three broad categories (ICE, CIS, SEP). It no longer shows performance in the subcategories (Data gathering, patient note, questioning skills, etc). I only know that I failed the ICE section and passed the other two.

This has been an absolute nightmare. It's an embarrassment to my family, friends, medical school and residency program. I matched into my first preference residency program and now I might loose the position. I feel that I need to do something extreme for my preparation this time around. I plan to take the very expensive live kaplan course. However, it's only six days long and I'm not confident that it will be sufficient. I've already read the FA book three times. Anyway, I would greatly appreciate any advice at all. Thanks!

Reading FA is good and all but you need to practice. Practice, practice, practice. also knowing the minicases like the back of your hand helps too. I failed step 2 cs the first time. I honestly do not know where I went wrong. But the 2nd time around, I had 2.5 wks to study for it. I reviewed the minicases 3x and went through the practice cases on my own and then practiced all of them with a friend. I also used UW. I read their cases and practiced some of them with a friend. The thing I liked about UW was it helped with how to format your PN. Also I read page 11 of the booklet which pretty much breaks down what you are graded on esp for the CIS component and made sure to hit everyone of them the 2nd time around. I took both exams in Philly but at different centers, 2nd time I passed. I hope this helps.

 

[coxsackie]

Thanks justwannabeadoc...that really helped me! I just failed CS, and in the ICE portion. I am extremely shocked as I felt my cases were very easy to diagnose. For that reason, i definitely asked them a lot of questions towards the dx in mind. I also jotted down a list of diffrentials before I even entered the door. Could it have been my patient note? I don't know...i followed the format on the usmle web site to a tee. ahhhhhhh! My SEP and CIS are in the high range.

 

[coxsackie]

I obv have no other choice but to study for this ****-show of an exam again. Did i mention that i am done with ck? ahhh Also, no way in hell am i shelling out 80 bucks for a re-grade to get the same damn score back...as tempted as i am. I know that it's very unlikely. Esp since there's a statament on their website about ppl that solely failed ICE- something along the lines that they are meticulously checked before results are given out.

Should I get the new first aid?? I def want the u world for cs subscription now.

 

[CDI]

I obv have no other choice but to study for this ****-show of an exam again. Did i mention that i am done with ck? ahhh Also, no way in hell am i shelling out 80 bucks for a re-grade to get the same damn score back...as tempted as i am. I know that it's very unlikely. Esp since there's a statament on their website about ppl that solely failed ICE- something along the lines that they are meticulously checked before results are given out.

Should I get the new first aid?? I def want the u world for cs subscription now.

Truth is, if you were to retake it a week from now without any further prep, you'd probably pass. I've seen it happen. Of course, no one wants to or should take that risk so you put more time and money into it to make sure you'll "pass" the second time...

After all, can you even really pin-point what you did wrong on the majority of your cases in ICE to deserve a failure overall? Probably not.

 

[coxsackie]

haha if i could take this **** again in week, i totally would. unfortunately, i have to wait 24 hrs to re-apply...wait for my school (AUA) to confirm from ECFMG when i do pay 1500 again. And, I don't trust my school to do anything in a timely manner. Wish results came back in 3 weeks like all the other actual exams- unlike this fake money grabbing mess.

 

[CDI]

haha if i could take this **** again in week, i totally would. unfortunately, i have to wait 24 hrs to re-apply...wait for my school (AUA) to confirm from ECFMG when i do pay 1500 again. And, I don't trust my school to do anything in a timely manner. Wish results came back in 3 weeks like all the other actual exams- unlike this fake money grabbing mess.

Yeah, tough to find open spots this time of year

 

[link2swim06]

As med schools continue to rework their curricula, I think a major emphasis needs to be placed on moving toward learning real, applicable clinical skills and useful clinical knowledge rather than constantly looking toward the next big standardized test. I should spend a tiny fraction of my time answering practice questions about sporotrichosis and tularemia compared to questions about GERD and stroke, for example.

I agree to an extend but your residency is going to be all GERD and stroke (or insert other common disease). You will refine your knowledge about those there.

Rare **** is good to learn about at some point because when all you rule out the common stuff you will have some idea where to go. Even though you will likely not remember every detail about it you likely will remember it exists.

 

[hrandani]

I agree to an extend but your residency is going to be all GERD and stroke (or insert other common disease). You will refine your knowledge about those there.

Rare **** is good to learn about at some point because when all you rule out the common stuff you will have some idea where to go. Even though you will likely not remember every detail about it you likely will remember it exists.

I would have agreed with you a year ago... except that my fourth year interactions with attendings and even upper-level residents has shown me that nobody remembers very much from medical school, especially the nitpicky UWORLD type stuff that involves tests that differentiate minutae of rare pathophysiology with zero ramifications on treatment modality.

If you really want to see some blank stares, try using the generic nomenclature of common medications in your next patient presentation.

I admit that I rotated almost entirely in community hospitals and outpatient clinics without academic affiliations, but I'm pretty sure that only highlights the fact that most doctors forget everything they don't see on a yearly basis, even the zebras in their respective specialties.

I mean, I'm always genuinely surprised when the physician makes a genuine attempt to actually give a definitive diagnosis rather than just empirically treat and move on to the next case.

Back to the thread - CS was horrible. I'm not the best at role-play in any context, and this test was purely a function of how much you like to pretend to be a doctor. Either some of the patients made clear mistakes on remembering their histories correctly or I should be banned from the practice of medicine. If you can really do a targeted H&P with lifestyle counseling in 15 minutes I think you should recheck your patient's GCS.

It was the last hurrah of a very long year and I basically gave up on studying for CS when I realized half of the test prep material was in direct conflict with the other half. I still don't know what I was actually graded on, despite going over the official material several times.

I have no idea if I passed and I can only assume I'm going to need to take it again and the mere thought of going through that circle jerk again makes me want to vomit from anxiety.

 

[kaleerkalut]

I would have agreed with you a year ago... except that my fourth year interactions with attendings and even upper-level residents has shown me that nobody remembers very much from medical school, especially the nitpicky UWORLD type stuff that involves tests that differentiate minutae of rare pathophysiology with zero ramifications on treatment modality.

If you really want to see some blank stares, try using the generic nomenclature of common medications in your next patient presentation.

I admit that I rotated almost entirely in community hospitals and outpatient clinics without academic affiliations, but I'm pretty sure that only highlights the fact that most doctors forget everything they don't see on a yearly basis, even the zebras in their respective specialties.

I mean, I'm always genuinely surprised when the physician makes a genuine attempt to actually give a definitive diagnosis rather than just empirically treat and move on to the next case.

Back to the thread - CS was horrible. I'm not the best at role-play in any context, and this test was purely a function of how much you like to pretend to be a doctor. Either some of the patients made clear mistakes on remembering their histories correctly or I should be banned from the practice of medicine. If you can really do a targeted H&P with lifestyle counseling in 15 minutes I think you should recheck your patient's GCS.

It was the last hurrah of a very long year and I basically gave up on studying for CS when I realized half of the test prep material was in direct conflict with the other half. I still don't know what I was actually graded on, despite going over the official material several times.

I have no idea if I passed and I can only assume I'm going to need to take it again and the mere thought of going through that circle jerk again makes me want to vomit from anxiety.

Question: Is Step 2 CS required to be ranked? The residencies I'm applying for will receive my CS scores by Feb 20 or whatever the rank order list is due.

 

[Houmd]

Question: Is Step 2 CS required to be ranked? The residencies I'm applying for will receive my CS scores by Feb 20 or whatever the rank order list is due.

IMGs are virtually required to have passed it for ranking, not so much for US grads unless you already have a fail on your record which might be a different story but I'm not sure on that one

 

[stelabystarlight]

I'm a recent US medical school grad and failed CS for the second time. I did well in medical school and never had any problems with clinical skills. I'm very frustrated because I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. Since the CS changes, the performance profiles are much more vague. It only shows performance in the three broad categories (ICE, CIS, SEP). It no longer shows performance in the subcategories (Data gathering, patient note, questioning skills, etc). I only know that I failed the ICE section and passed the other two.

This has been an absolute nightmare. It's an embarrassment to my family, friends, medical school and residency program. I matched into my first preference residency program and now I might loose the position. I feel that I need to do something extreme for my preparation this time around. I plan to take the very expensive live kaplan course. However, it's only six days long and I'm not confident that it will be sufficient. I've already read the FA book three times. Anyway, I would greatly appreciate any advice at all. Thanks!

hello
I failed cs twice. Now I have to find out what mistakes I am making....
You described the feeling very well, so, I don't have to add anything...
Just, I need help- Could be please tell me what went wrong in your case? And how to make things better?
thanksss!!!!

 

[stelabystarlight]

hello
I failed cs twice. Now I have to find out what mistakes I am making....
You described the feeling very well, so, I don't have to add anything...
Just, I need help- Could be please tell me what went wrong in your case? And how to make things better?
thanksss!!!!

correction: Could you

 

[takeuponeidea]

The best solution is to make it official to NOT count CS attempts but just consider pass irrespective of attempts....CS attempts should not affect Match outcome.

 

[evilbooyaa]

The best solution is to make it official to NOT count CS attempts but just consider pass irrespective of attempts....CS attempts should not affect Match outcome.

This will lead to more people failing CS as a money grab, and thus be a bigger money grab.

 

[drcrispmd]

I have heard in the past philly was the most difficult. Possibly because they have a larger amount of IMG that are in the NY/NJ area. I took mine Houston, Tx and my cases were straight from first aid.

 

[Phloston]

I think it's fairly obvious that 2CS results shouldn't be reported at all to residencies, kind of like how the writing section of the MCAT has been phased out (IIRC). It should be an internal licensing requirement to have 2CS passed before the start of residency, but there's no need for residencies to actually see it. Graduating from medical school and having that internal 2CS requirement passed should suffice.

That being said, this thread justifies my terror of 2CS (which I haven't taken yet). It seems like everyone I've spoken to who hasn't yet sat the exam is overly lax about it (i.e., "I'm not concerned at all..will only study a few days for that ****."), but I really wouldn't take this exam lightly at all. I agree (through everything I've read) that this exam appears to be much more about how much you want to pretend to be / role-play being a doctor than anything else.

There's only one person on this thread who's made a good point so far that the most important thing to do is practice. Practice eliminates awkwardness. Everyone knows your true clinical skills aren't determined by this exam, so the key aspect is the impression that's given off. My advice (and I'm going to follow this myself) would be to find a partner to play the patient for all of the cases in FA and UWorld. Then write notes on all of the cases and get feedback from your partner. And by all means, people can argue that FA + UWorld for 2CS is overkill, but yet again, if you genuinely role-played + wrote notes for all of these cases, you are not going to fail 2CS.

 

[MedicalBeast]

which is better for CS, first aid or Uworld? I had not even considered uworld before.

 

[Phloston]

As far as what I've read, FA seems to be tried and true for 2CS (i.e., I haven't heard a single negative thing about FA 2CS, and many people say just go through this).

But I would bet that UWorld would be solid adjunct. I had read on one of the threads somewhere that it's really good for developing your note-writing skills.

 

[takeuponeidea]

This will lead to more people failing CS as a money grab, and thus be a bigger money grab.

How can you justify it as a big money grab....why can't we think positively...If there is a rule which just requires pass ( not attempts) for CS, then students can even perform better as they do not have to feel more nervous (-ve) and students feel like taking history of a patient rather than SP....Anyhow finally Interview will take care of Communication and professional skills apart from SEP...Medical knowledge anyhow will be evaluated during IV's or Step 1 CK and Step 3.....At least Programs should ignore CS attempts while inviting for Interviews.....Phloston also agreed with my statement....I think it's fairly obvious that 2CS results shouldn't be reported at all to residencies

Thank you Modeselektor and Phloston for agreeing with my opinion...

 

[takeuponeidea]

To pass CS exam the only thing we need to do is LIVE Practice with SP multiple times unless you get tuned with the setup without any jerks.....practice practice practice and again verbal and non-verbal communication skills are very important apart from professionalism and caring the patient. Listen patient and close every case with enough time ( not in a hurry)...all the best

 

[anbuitachi]

this test is ridiculous. our school has a 10% failing rate. [almost all of us takes it in philly.. hahaa]. not sure how to study for it either. it can be so subjective. i bet if you are physically attractive, they'll be more likely to pass you.

 

[evilbooyaa]

Yeah, just focus on taking a proper history, good physical exam techniques, and writing a cohesive note. I think Step 2 CS should be a minimum passing barrier, and this may sound mean spirited, but if I were a program director I would sure as hell want to know if a borderline candidate (especially if it's a FMG) failed the exam. Now, if there was a 260/260 guy with all honors in his clinical evals (be it IMG or AMG) that has a boo-boo like a CS failure, I'd give him a pass.

How can you justify it as a big money grab....why can't we think positively...If there is a rule which just requires pass ( not attempts) for CS, then students can even perform better as they do not have to feel more nervous (-ve) and students feel like taking history of a patient rather than SP....Anyhow finally Interview will take care of Communication and professional skills apart from SEP...Medical knowledge anyhow will be evaluated during IV's or Step 1 CK and Step 3.....At least Programs should ignore CS attempts while inviting for Interviews.....Phloston also agreed with my statement....I think it's fairly obvious that 2CS results shouldn't be reported at all to residencies

Thank you Modeselektor and Phloston for agreeing with my opinion...

It's a money grab because if no residency cared about how many attempts it took, the USMLE could justify failing a higher proportion of the students than they do currently. If Step 2 CS suddenly doubled the percent failures, there would be a bigger uproar than there is now.

Making it so you can take it 3 times so you don't feel nervous? I was more nervous about having to burn another $1300 or whatever on fire if I failed Step 2 CS rather than the fact it would look bad on my residency app.

Agree with your interview point; while an interview can be faked, so can Step 2 CS.
Basic medical knowledge and ability to free-think a differential (without being given choices like Step 2 CK) is critically assessed on Step 2 CS. Step 3 is too late if you're AMG, because you'll already be in residency.

I don't care who else agreed with your statement. You're more than welcome to your opinion, but I disagree with you. As stated above, I would be much more skeptical of a FMG who had a step 2 CS failure. The exam was built to weed out FMGs.

Also, it may be "fairly obvious" to you, but that's why it's your opinion. I disagree.

 

[takeuponeidea]

Yeah, just focus on taking a proper history, good physical exam techniques, and writing a cohesive note. I think Step 2 CS should be a minimum passing barrier, and this may sound mean spirited, but if I were a program director I would sure as hell want to know if a borderline candidate (especially if it's a FMG) failed the exam. Now, if there was a 260/260 guy with all honors in his clinical evals (be it IMG or AMG) that has a boo-boo like a CS failure, I'd give him a pass.



It's a money grab because if no residency cared about how many attempts it took, the USMLE could justify failing a higher proportion of the students than they do currently. If Step 2 CS suddenly doubled the percent failures, there would be a bigger uproar than there is now.

Making it so you can take it 3 times so you don't feel nervous? I was more nervous about having to burn another $1300 or whatever on fire if I failed Step 2 CS rather than the fact it would look bad on my residency app.

Agree with your interview point; while an interview can be faked, so can Step 2 CS.
Basic medical knowledge and ability to free-think a differential (without being given choices like Step 2 CK) is critically assessed on Step 2 CS. Step 3 is too late if you're AMG, because you'll already be in residency.

I don't care who else agreed with your statement. You're more than welcome to your opinion, but I disagree with you. As stated above, I would be much more skeptical of a FMG who had a step 2 CS failure. The exam was built to weed out FMGs.

Also, it may be "fairly obvious" to you, but that's why it's your opinion. I disagree.

Why would USMLE could justify failing a higher proportion of the students than they do currently?? So you mean step 1 and step 2 ck are inferior to step 2 cs...We hear horror stories of even US graduates who fail CS despite of good clinical skills....step 1 and step 2 ck are far superior and quality based and objective type unlike step 2 cs which is mostly subjective....there is no need to weed our FMG's or AMG's....Ultimately Patient need good physician who have knowledge......

Next How can a PD identify just borderline pass student from high performance passed student based on usmle transcript? Are they still same.....borderline pass may be similar to just failed student....so better for step 2 cs they accept overall pass instead of attempts...what matters if student pass CS even with attempts...ultimately student can pass cs, only when he develops skills...just making attempts wont let us pass cs....

you only said that people may fake step 2 cs or even Interview but what i can believe is that no one can fake step 1 and step 2 ck.....hope this make sense

 

[stelabystarlight]

What's your email, these ppl can't help

You can?
Is there anyway to write an email in private message?

Thanks!