{"id":19056,"date":"2019-08-20T10:22:01","date_gmt":"2019-08-20T10:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/?p=19056"},"modified":"2022-05-20T18:05:52","modified_gmt":"2022-05-20T18:05:52","slug":"5-tips-for-passing-step-2-cs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/usmle\/5-tips-for-passing-step-2-cs\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Tips for Passing USMLE Step 2 CS"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Imagine having spent 4 years of college, 4 years of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/Medical-Licensing\/index.html?cmp=blog:med_12042012?utm_source=medschoolinsight&amp;utm_medium=kaplan-blog&amp;utm_term=us-med&amp;utm_content=blog-article&amp;utm_campaign=med-usmle-general-2015\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">medical<\/a>\u00a0school, and tens of thousands of dollars on tuition and books in an effort to getting a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/Medical-Licensing\/Residency.html?cmp=blog:med_12042012?utm_source=residencysecrets&amp;utm_medium=kaplan-blog&amp;utm_term=us-med&amp;utm_content=blog-article&amp;utm_campaign=med-usmle-general-2015\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">residency<\/a>. Imagine if you actually did well on all the other exams but failed only one and now you are\u00a0not getting interviews. It\u2019s even more painful when you learn that exam was one of the more straightforward exams to study for, and requires nothing more than readily available medical knowledge, practice and organization.<\/p>\n<p>If you are wondering what exam I am talking about, it\u2019s known as <a title=\"All About the USMLE Step 2 CS\" href=\"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/usmle\/all-about-the-usmle-step-2-cs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Step 2 CS<\/a>. Step 2 CS has recently become one of the most difficult of the 4 USMLE\u00aeexams, and the one students are frequently underestimating. This error has led to many students actually failing the exam.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><article  class=\"iconbox iconbox_top main_color    avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_iconlist  avia-builder-el-first  \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class=\"iconbox_content\"><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><div class=\"iconbox_icon heading-color\" aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue864' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'  ><\/div><h3 class='iconbox_content_title  '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Expert Test Tip<\/h3><\/header><div class='iconbox_content_container  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><div   data-autoplay='1'  data-interval='5'  data-animation='fade'  data-hoverpause='1'  class='avia-testimonial-wrapper avia-grid-testimonials avia-grid-2-testimonials avia_animate_when_almost_visible   '>\n<section class ='avia-testimonial-row'><div class='avia-testimonial av_one_half flex_column no_margin avia-testimonial-row-1 avia-first-testimonial' ><div class='avia-testimonial_inner'  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia-testimonial-image'  itemprop=\"image\"  ><\/div><div class='avia-testimonial-content '  ><div class='avia-testimonial-markup-entry-content'  itemprop=\"text\" ><p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Edward Kaplas, Faculty Physician, USMLE Step 2 CS<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><em>&#8220;Coming up with a good doorway differential diagnosis is critical to a successful patient encounter.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class='avia-testimonial-meta'><div class='avia-testimonial-arrow-wrap'><div class='avia-arrow'><\/div><\/div><div class='avia-testimonial-meta-mini'  itemprop=\"author\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\" ><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\">\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><\/p>\n<p><strong>So how can we avoid getting pinched by the Step 2 CS exam and come out on top? <\/strong>Well it\u2019s quite easy, to be honest, and can be done through following these 5 prep tips:<\/p>\n<p><div  class='avia-icon-list-container   avia-builder-el-2  el_after_av_icon_box  el_before_av_sidebar '><ul class='avia-icon-list avia-icon-list-left av-iconlist-big avia_animate_when_almost_visible avia-iconlist-animate'>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue816' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Learn to type. <\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p>The new Step 2 CS note is digital and requires you to be able to type a quick and efficient note. If you type like grandma, then it\u2019s going to be difficult to complete the note in the 25 minutes allotted for each case.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue816' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Learn focused physicals. <\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p>Not every patient with abdominal pain needs a full neuro exam. Remember keep your exams focused and to the case. You can save time that way.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue816' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Know your differentials. <\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p>Knowing the key buzzwords for the prototypic cases is necessary to nail the diagnosis. If they present a patient with RUQ pain in a fertile forty female who happens to be obese\u2013you know right away it\u2019s cholecystitis.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue816' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Be humble and warm to the patient. <\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p>Remember empathy is something many medical associations feel is lost in patient encounters in the new \u201cgeneration\u201d and is something the boards want you to demonstrate to your patients.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<li><div  class='iconlist_icon  avia-font-entypo-fontello'><span class='iconlist-char ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue816' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/span><\/div><article class=\"article-icon-entry \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='iconlist_content_wrap'><header class=\"entry-content-header\"><h4 class='av_iconlist_title iconlist_title   '  itemprop=\"headline\"  >Practice practice practice. <\/h4><\/header><div class='iconlist_content  '  itemprop=\"text\"  ><p>There are numerous courses and books, many offered by Kaplan, that allow you to practice real live case simulations. If the first time you practice a case is on Test Day, studies prove you are more likely to fail Step 2 CS. So find a study buddy and practice early and regularly!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><footer class=\"entry-footer\"><\/footer><\/article><div class='iconlist-timeline'><\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div><br \/>\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Imagine having spent 4 years of college, 4 years of\u00a0medical\u00a0school, and tens of thousands of dollars on tuition and books in an effort to getting a\u00a0residency. Imagine if you actually did well on all the other exams but failed only one and now you are\u00a0not getting interviews. It\u2019s even more painful when you learn that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28583,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[145],"tags":[351,157],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19056"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19056"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19056\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40673,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19056\/revisions\/40673"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28583"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19056"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19056"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19056"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}