MD Who has passed CS after an awful performance?

[NeurologyHopeful2018]

Took Step 2 CS recently. Studied a good 3-4 days beforehand by reading FA once through. But the actual exam performance was awful.

To start off, I could not sleep at all the night before just from stress/anxiety/uncomfortable hotel bed. Then on exam day I consistently realize I forgot to ask important history questions, missed pertinent exams, and forgot to put obvious Ddx for many cases. In fact for most cases, I could only formulate 2 Ddx, instead of 3.

Another scary thought - on some cases I put down PE findings I didn't actually tell the patient I was doing. Like I would say CN 2-12 grossly intact - but didn't actually perform a formal cranial nerve exam. Is this now an automatic failure if examiner sees inconsistencies between SP checklist and my note?

Thanks guys! I am scared to death! I am a US MD from a mid-tier school in the Southeast.

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[Crayola227]

eh it's hard to feel really good after any step exam

that said, some people know they just FAILED

like, how bad did you eff up? did you at least appear to be washing your hands for each station?

listening to every set of heart and lungs can't hurt you, not doing it can = insta-fail

always include in your DDx whatever is the most deadly thing you can think of that might possibly account for the BS you see in the room, you get X # of shots at dx which don't even have to be great, and it's good to toss one at life-threatening

you probably did OK if you managed the above

 

[Tenk]

Patient was a young female in a bra and gown. I was trying to make small talk. I was sweating. Room was like 100,000 degrees or I was just nervous.

Me: "man it's getting hot in here..."
*dead silence*

Yeah I passed.

 

[flightnurse2MD]

Patient was a young female in a bra and gown. I was trying to make small talk. I was sweating. Room was like 100,000 degrees or I was just nervous.

Me: "man it's getting hot in here..."
*dead silence*

Yeah I passed.

Swag. Straight up swag...

 

[PlutoBoy]

Patient was a young female in a bra and gown. I was trying to make small talk. I was sweating. Room was like 100,000 degrees or I was just nervous.

Me: "man it's getting hot in here..."
*dead silence*

Yeah I passed.

"So take off all your clothes..."

 

[NeurologyHopeful2018]

Can anyone who also felt terrible after the exam chime in? Did they pass?

Who flunked this exam and was shocked?

 

[Rekt]

Like I would say CN 2-12 grossly intact - but didn't actually perform a formal cranial nerve exam. Is this now an automatic failure if examiner sees inconsistencies between SP checklist and my note?

So, you did NOT physically do any type of cranial nerve exam, but charted that it CN2-12 was intact on the PE section? Pretty sure that's a huge no-no. Our school tells us that's an automatic fail.

 

[NeurologyHopeful2018]

It was grossly normal based on their interaction with me. Other times I honestly forgot what happened under the stress of the moment and could have mis-recalled certain findings.

 

[ACSurgeon]

Took Step 2 CS recently. Studied a good 3-4 days beforehand by reading FA once through. But the actual exam performance was awful.

To start off, I could not sleep at all the night before just from stress/anxiety/uncomfortable hotel bed. Then on exam day I consistently realize I forgot to ask important history questions, missed pertinent exams, and forgot to put obvious Ddx for many cases. In fact for most cases, I could only formulate 2 Ddx, instead of 3.

Another scary thought - on some cases I put down PE findings I didn't actually tell the patient I was doing. Like I would say CN 2-12 grossly intact - but didn't actually perform a formal cranial nerve exam. Is this now an automatic failure if examiner sees inconsistencies between SP checklist and my note?

Thanks guys! I am scared to death! I am a US MD from a mid-tier school in the Southeast.

No one walks out feeling great but the vast majority pass. No one can really tell you if you're likely to pass or fail based on your performance. Anyone telling you probably passed is falsely reassuring you, and anyone telling you things you did will automatically fail you is unnecessarily scaring you. Do what most of us did, and try to block any thoughts about it and hope for the best.

 

[Milotic]

Can anyone who also felt terrible after the exam chime in? Did they pass?

Who flunked this exam and was shocked?

In my personal internet searching, it is like 90% of people who failed "Are so surprised and are not sure what went wrong". Most of the people on here who came out feeling like crap had passed.