CS Exam more difficult starting January 2013

[cool_atomic]

The USMLE Review committee have decided to increased the minimum passing performance for the CIS and ICE components of the Step 2 CS Exam as officially announced here;

http://www.usmle.org/announcements/?ContentId=110


Please read the last paragraph of the article. They say that the pass % of IMG's would decrease by 18% because of the new INCREASED difficulty of the exam. Currently the pass % of CS is about 70%. Another 18% means that only 52% of examinees would pass the exam according to them.

What would you guys do?

[ag2011n]

This is really scary.

[observe]

Ur r right guys....dont know how difficult it is going to be......

[cool_atomic]

Originally Posted by ag2011n

This is really scary.

yes it is! Good for you that you're done with CS!

[observe]

Originally Posted by cool_atomic

yes it is! Good for you that you're done with CS!

God my cs is in Jan 2013...i m really scared....

[cool_atomic]

That's why i changed my exam date from Jan to March.......more time to practice.
Why take the risk? I really can't take the chance because most residency programs want those who passed in the 1st attempt.

What could they have changed because the checklists are already so detailed and 18% less passing candidates is a very scary number!

[XpaezX]

Oh great.. I have been doing all the steps right after they increase the difficulty... my exam is on february the 4th, looks like im screwed haha

[cool_atomic]

Originally Posted by XpaezX

Oh great.. I have been doing all the steps right after they increase the difficulty... my exam is on february the 4th, looks like im screwed haha

The same things happening with me. Before step-1, they changed the questions and difficulty, Before step-2CK, they added the statistical and research questions and now for CS, this.
God help us now!

[usmlemydream]

i don't know why do they every time come up with something that will affect the IMGs
if they don't want imgs they should simply release a bulletin saying imgs don't apply
day by day they are making it more difficult
my exam is in 2013 February beginning

[XpaezX]

yeah dude, i mean I have done extremely great on both step 1 and step 2 ck, but the thing is im doing them right after a change of question pool, difficulty and/or passing score...

Im really afraid of this exam dont know why.. maybe because it is subjective and you dont have full control of it... hope i dont get screwed by this though.. it is my last exam before ECFMG certification and I wouldnt want to blow it

[cool_atomic]

Hi admins,

I read in the article from ECFMG that the changes will be effective for everyone taking the exam from JAN 1. Where on earth did anyone mention FEB? Do you have any source because if it really is Feb, i need to rush with the exam before then.
Please confirm!

[Sabio]

Originally Posted by cool_atomic

Hi admins,

I read in the article from ECFMG that the changes will be effective for everyone taking the exam from JAN 1. Where on earth did anyone mention FEB? Do you have any source because if it really is Feb, i need to rush with the exam before then.
Please confirm!

Sorry about the mistake.
You are right. It's January 1st 2013.
We changed the title of the thread.

-

[Strong]

This really is not a good news for IMGs, however, we have no choice other than to work hard and prepare well.

Let me tell you that I had never failed any exam in my life, except for this damn CS. I took it a few months ago and failed in ICE. It was a shocking news but I had nothing to do other than being patient. You know I have gone through this first ever failure of my life, but I am still not as worried to give up. I am going to do the best I can until I pass it. Nothing is impossible brothers and sisters!

I am going to take it in Jan-Feb again and I know it would be much harder. Still I am hopeful and passionate, although a bit anxious. So I would like to recommend you all to be calm and focused! No use being overly scared!

Let's wish each other good luck and promise that we are going to work even harder to prepare for it!

[cool_atomic]

Originally Posted by Strong

This really is not a good news for IMGs, however, we have no choice other than to work hard and prepare well.

Let me tell you that I had never failed any exam in my life, except for this damn CS. I took it a few months ago and failed in ICE. It was a shocking news but I had nothing to do other than being patient. You know I have gone through this first ever failure of my life, but I am still not as worried to give up. I am going to do the best I can until I pass it. Nothing is impossible brothers and sisters!

I am going to take it in Jan-Feb again and I know it would be much harder. Still I am hopeful and passionate, although a bit anxious. So I would like to recommend you all to be calm and focused! No use being overly scared!

Let's wish each other good luck and promise that we are going to work even harder to prepare for it!

That's inspirational! Thanks.
I too have never failed a single exam in my entire life and now i don't know why but i am dead scared about CS. Maybe because i'm a fresh graduate, i don't have adequate clinical exposure in practice and what we practice on patients in med school is never is so much detail.
This time, God help us with this cruelty!

[add1]

Yes this definately is not good
news for me either
they changed everything
ck and now cs
im taking it in january and now very worried
even the case notes in fa are not like
the simulation on the usmle website
with the character limits
truly scared!

[add1]

really hoping to be ecfmg certified this yr
wouldnt want to fail this last exam even there is no First Aid new edition for the new exam format
so zero guidance basically!

[cool_atomic]

Originally Posted by add1

really hoping to be ecfmg
certified this yr
wouldnt want to fail this last exam
even there is no First Aid
new edition for the new exam format
so zero guidance basically!

Exact same problem with me so postponed the exam to march. Want to get more time for prep. I think given the circumstances its better to prepare for long and more thorough. Lets see how it goes. But for me if i fail this exam in the first attempt, i will leave usmle because 2nd attempts lose eligibility for more than 70% of programs so it would basically be waste of money.

[add1]

guess I will postpone it too
been preparing for 1 month
just finished second round of cases
and planning on reading the minicases now
it is better to postpone than fail!

[Sunny_99]

It means getting more money out of IMG's. Recession has badly hit the economy and they need more of scapegoats. So they have fixed the number of IMGs passing CS. Even if IMGs are well prepared, they must be failed because of this fixed percentage. Otherwise how NBME will get precious money.

[add1]

Interesting theory man!
i think i agree and makes sense
If this exam is standardized as they say
then we will pass if we deserve it
if not then they will be fake like our
colleges.
make sure ur SPs love u.
gl all

[ziad]

"The Step 2 Committee decided to increase the performance levels required to receive a passing outcome on two of the three Step 2 CS subcomponents: Communication and Interpersonal Skills (CIS) and Integrated Clinical Encounter (ICE). There will be no change to minimum passing requirements for the Spoken English Proficiency (SEP) subcomponent of Step 2 CS at this time." usmle.org
I was thinking about the new announcement of usmle.org! so there is no new changes in the cs exam itself cause the changes has been made since july 2012 and we've been preparing according to the new changes!
and a lot of our colleagues already took the exam and experienced the difficulty before us and they are generously post their exam experiences which helped a lot.
so the only thing about this announcement is that usmle gathered the results from july 2012 till now and they found that there is difference in passing rates among examinees before and after july 2012, according to this they announce that the performance levels required to receive a passing outcome has been changed!!!
so to us nothing changed from july till now ....its the same preparation, nothing changed !
they did not change any subcomponent recently with the new announcement !
I wonder why some are trying to pospone few months?
am I right ? I need your opinion guys ?

[ziad]

Your opinion is really appreciated.
thanks in advance and good luck everybody.

[add1]

i think one should not postpone
the same hasnt changed drastically
just the scoring
gl all

[cool_atomic]

Originally Posted by add1

i think one should not postpone
the same hasnt changed drastically
just the scoring
gl all

The standard for passing the exam has been increased. So one must prepare and perform better than those who passed earlier in order to pass!

[add1]

i know man it is harder not sure how to proceed
fail first attempt is not good

[dr.mc]

hi guys,
i m palnning for the 2014 match,gave my step1 ten days bk.now whch exam shud i give first? step2-cs or ck ,if i have to be ready with step1,cs &ck scores to apply in sep.

[zxsa]

OMG!
I'm planning to take it in 2014 after step 1 this year. I hope they won't make it even more difficult next year

[docJD]

I beg those of you doing CS exam january and february 2013, to be generous enough as to help us by posting your experience with the new CS exam. We will really appreciate that.

[dr-mk]

i got my result yesterday and i failed the exam because of CIS, i have been searching forums to find ppl who failed CS but couldn't find any1 who failed in CIS ppl either failed in ICE or SEP. i don't know how to improve that. i scored 237 n 255 respectively in my step 1 n step 2 ck. and the result of this exam was the biggest shock of my life. re taking cs in april, any advise to improve CIS would be highly appreciated.
thanks

[DrSusan]

Originally Posted by Strong

This really is not a good news for IMGs, however, we have no choice other than to work hard and prepare well.

Let me tell you that I had never failed any exam in my life, except for this damn CS. I took it a few months ago and failed in ICE. It was a shocking news but I had nothing to do other than being patient. You know I have gone through this first ever failure of my life, but I am still not as worried to give up. I am going to do the best I can until I pass it. Nothing is impossible brothers and sisters!

I am going to take it in Jan-Feb again and I know it would be much harder. Still I am hopeful and passionate, although a bit anxious. So I would like to recommend you all to be calm and focused! No use being overly scared!

Let's wish each other good luck and promise that we are going to work even harder to prepare for it!

I wish you the best of luck...I failed it ie the cs and it was bcoz of ice I was shocked coz I have practiced with Amg who were shocked by the result...I wish gd luck I will take again later this yr...btw I took last December....keep in touch

[drsalomon]

yes it is! Good for you that you're done with CS!

[AMRANI Yanis]

Hope it goes well...