US Med Students, How long did you study for CS?

[Cerberus]

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I am taking it in a few weeks and will be taking it when on a rotation. How much time did you really spend studying in order to pass it?

 

[Thorazine]

i studied the day before in the hotel. however, i was 3 weeks in to a FM ambulatory rotation, which i think gave me good practice on bread and butter cases.
i really think its a test of being 1-nice, 2-confident, and 3-competent. and i numbered those for a reason.
my first sp, i went to listen to their heart on the right side because i was nervous and always screw up left and right when im nervous. the patient looked at me funny, i laughed it off and said sorry i just turned around one too many times here. i passed.
one piece of advice though - dont ask questions in multiples, like "do you have nausea or vomiting" because they are trained to answer the last thing you asked, and will say "im not vomiting" without mentioning the nausea. ask things one at a time.

 

[Scottish Chap]

As above, I had just finished a busy FM outpatient month. I read the first 50-60 pages of First Aid for Step 2CS the day before in the hotel. This tells you how the exam is structured. If you attend a U.S. school, review books and practice are overkill for CS. Our school also made us do a whole day, mock CS exam at the end of MSIII. I turned up for that without practicing and I did fine, so I wasn't too worried. If you spend more than half a day preparing for CS, you'll regret it. If you paid attention in med school, you'll be fine.

 

[AndrewFM]

if you can wash your hands, speak English, you'll do fine.

just read first aid to know about the "special situations" and how to deal with them (ie - what to say if a patient is angry or seems sad)

also knowing the format and what is expected is helpful.

if you can pass a clinical rotation at a US med school, you'll do fine.

 

[abbaroodle]

I studied for a week and a half for a couple hours in the evening I think. It was probably overkill. But the exam costs too dang much to risk erring on the other side!!!

As everyone else says, read FA-CS. Review DDx and tests to order so you are on top of things that may not be fresh in your mind - like infant with a fever or neonatal jaundice; HA; vertigo; psych (do you remember what is included in a MMS?); CP; SOB; abd pain; joint/muscular complaints. etc.

The last section with cases is also really good. Dont loose sleep over the exam, but dont make the mistake of blowing it off thinking all you have to do is speak English and wash your hands. I am sure you are probably well prepared, but you might as well use it as an opportunity to review a lot of medicine before your internship.

 

[Medstudentquest]

I studied for a week and a half for a couple hours in the evening I think. It was probably overkill. But the exam costs too dang much to risk erring on the other side!!!

As everyone else says, read FA-CS. Review DDx and tests to order so you are on top of things that may not be fresh in your mind - like infant with a fever or neonatal jaundice; HA; vertigo; psych (do you remember what is included in a MMS?); CP; SOB; abd pain; joint/muscular complaints. etc.

The last section with cases is also really good. Dont loose sleep over the exam, but dont make the mistake of blowing it off thinking all you have to do is speak English and wash your hands. I am sure you are probably well prepared, but you might as well use it as an opportunity to review a lot of medicine before your internship.

I freaked out and moved my exam date. Ugh. I am pretty scared of this exam, even more than CK and almost more than step 1. I am mostly worried about not being able to come up with the appropriate ddx and work up and having my note be worthless. Also worried because in FA CS they recommend so many tests that I don't see how I can possibly do all of them in the alloted time?

 

[Weinberg Angle]

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