When to take step 2 CK and CS?

[Granddoctor]

Hey,

When is the best time to take the step 2 CK and CS? I'm signing up this weekend and am wondering whether I should take them the same month, separately, and which months would be best to take it?

Thanks!

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[CaptainZero]

Hey,

When is the best time to take the step 2 CK and CS? I'm signing up this weekend and am wondering whether I should take them the same month, separately, and which months would be best to take it?

Thanks!

I took CK and CS in August. I took CK on a Friday and CS the following Tuesday... I thought this made things easier for CS - being that my head was completely crammed with disease descriptions, generating differentials and knowing the best tests to order on CS was easy. And I didn't even think about opening FA for CS until the sunday before my tuesday exam.
Good luck...

 

[surprisedgirl]

i have cs scheduled for right at the end of third year......i figure that's when i'll be at my best and wont need as much prep...........ck on the other hand im deciding whether or not to put it off til the latest possible date

 

[CaptainZero]

i have cs scheduled for right at the end of third year......i figure that's when i'll be at my best and wont need as much prep...........ck on the other hand im deciding whether or not to put it off til the latest possible date

I honestly recommend taking it as soon after CK as you can. Give yourself four or so days to read through first aid CS and then take it. It'll feel really good not to have it hanging over your head all of fourth year...

 

[RugbyJC]

I took them about 4 months apart and wish I had taken them much closer together. My fear was that since I took time off to study for CK I would get out of practice with seeing patients, but that can be repracticed in a couple days. I also took CK in July and although I was nervous about this (I hadn't taken any surgery, neurology, and probably something else that was required), but it did not really matter. I was able to learn the book material on my own. I am SOOOoo happy that I have both of them out of the way now.

 

[Frogmed]

Should Step 2 be taken during 3rd year or 4th year?. I've hear March - May of 3rd year and an upper classman recently told me July of 4th year.... Is it based on personal preference or is there some magical strategy for picking the date? Thank ya so very much for advice.

 

[surprisedgirl]

Should Step 2 be taken during 3rd year or 4th year?. I've hear March - May of 3rd year and an upper classman recently told me July of 4th year.... Is it based on personal preference or is there some magical strategy for picking the date? Thank ya so very much for advice.

i think you should take ck something AFTER third year........that way you'll have gone through your rotations and learned most of the material that is tested.....i dont know of anyone at my school that takes ck during third year

 

[hippiedoc13]

Some will say that the timing of Step 2 CK depends on your particular circumstances. If you have a not-so-strong Step 1 score, you may want to take Step 2 CK earlier (July-August of 4th year) and study hard for it, so you can show improvement over Step 1 for residency apps. On the other hand, if your Step 1 was strong and you are happy with it, you have the option of waiting to take Step 2 later (ie, after September of your 4th year) and then you can look at your score first before deciding whether to release it to residency programs.

Many of my classmates took CS at the end of 3rd year/beginning of 4th year, right after our own school's clinical skills exam.

Ultimately, this is a decision that should be made according to one's own circumstances, and probably in consultation with your academic advisor, who can discuss your specific situation with you.

 

[usmletutor]

I took CS in June and CK in early August - making sure that I was guaranteed to have both scores in by the time I submitted my ERAS application.

 

[predodoc]

I took CS in June and CK in early August - making sure that I was guaranteed to have both scores in by the time I submitted my ERAS application.

I'm really confused also since I'm getting all kinds of mixed answers. So I compiled some advice about timing of Step 2. Any Advice/corrections about which is best would be appreciated

1) There is no absolute with timing with step 2 and situations vary with the person.
2) Taking the physical exam part at the end of third yr/beg of 4th (May-July) is a good Idea because you get it out of the way and It takes a while to reschedule just incase the Terrible happens. But if you fail its not as terrible as failing the written part and some programs won't hold it against you.
Or you can take the physical exam part in Aug-Dec but make sure you can pass since rescheduling may be hard.

3) Take the written part b/t May-June If you
a) Don't really care as much about score because you want a less competitive specialty but feel prepared enough.
b) Feel prepared and want to get it over with. (Maybe difficult upcoming schedule)


4) Take written part in July-Aug if you want a little more time to study but want your scores out before ERAS so that you can impress them with your improved step 2 score. But if you don't do well, they will still have your score and this may hurt you.

5) Take written part in Sept-Dec. Do this if you have a good step 1. That way they will only see your good step 1 when programs interview you. But they will eventually get your score before match anyway. (Unless you choose not to release it). But not releasing it might hurt you since some programs like to see that you passed/your score before ranking you.

6) Take Step 2 written real late Dec-March. This is for people who did well on step 1 and know they can pass step 2 on first try. This is good since no program will see your score before they rank you. So if you screw up and your step 2 goes down 40 points it won't matter. But a lot of programs like to see that you passed/your score before ranking you and it might hurt you. So this option might be better for people with high step 1 scores who are going into non-competitive fields (like fam. med). Also, some schools require that you take step 2 before Jan.


I have a 239 step 1 and still don't know what I want do. I'm really having a tough time deciding between May (get out of way), August (need more time but done before interview season), or December (late just in case I screw up).
So feel free to add any comments

 

[Biscuit799]

I had a 193 Step 1, so I'm probably going to take it in July/August. I figure if I go up significantly, then I can play the "oh look how much I improved card," but if I stay the same/go down a little, it won't hurt me too much (b/c I already have a low score, thus the marginal "returns" of another low scores won't be that high)