USMLE Step 2 CK and CS Overview
Step 2 is taken during the third or fourth year of medical school. It consists of two parts:
Step 2 CK, Clinical Knowledge and Step 2 CS, Clinical Skills.
How is Step 2 CS Administered?
Step 2 CS is a one-day, 8-hour clinical skills exam that consists of a series of patient encounters in which you see standardized patients (actors) and investigate their medical complaint. You will have 12 patient encounters, and 15 minutes for each. Step 2 CS is graded on a pass/fail metric.
How is Step 2 CK Administered?
Unlike Step 2 CS, Step 2 CK is graded on a competitive numerical scale. Step 2 CK is a one-day exam administered in one 9-hour testing session. The exam is divided into eight 60-minute blocks, with each block having a maximum of 40 questions. The total number of items on the overall exam will not exceed 318.
What Material Does Step 2 Cover?
In contrast to Step 1, Step 2 CK is a more clinically-oriented exam, and covers medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, and psychiatry. Step 2 CK tests your ability to apply medical knowledge, skills and understanding of clinical sciences to deliver patient care, health maintenance, disease prevention, diagnosis and management. Beginning in June 2020, Step 2 CK will include an increased number of questions that test systems-based practice, patient safety, legal/ethical issues and professionalism.
How Important is Step 2 of the USMLE?
Step 2 CK is graded on a numerical scale and has essentially become the new Step 1 in terms of competitive residency application metrics. Students now allocate more time to studying material that will be important for their residency because the Step 2 results specify correctness for particular subject matter topics rather than a general pass or fail exam result. Step 2 tutors help you reach your goals for scoring correctly in your intended medical field niches.
How is Step 2 Scored?
The minimum passing score for Step 2 CK is 209, and the national average is a 243, with a standard deviation of 16. Competitive specialties such as dermatology, neurosurgery and plastic surgery expect residency applicants to perform well on Step 2 CK. In 2022, the USMLE Step 1 is scheduled to transition to a pass/fail metric -- when that change takes place, your Step 2 CK score, which will still be a numerical score, will be even more important for your residency application.
Step 2 Tutoring