THE USMLE STEP 2 HAS CONSISTED OF TWO SEPARATE EXAMS: USMLE STEP 2 CLINICAL KNOWLEDGE (CK)
AND USMLE STEP 2 CLINICAL SKILLS (CS)... IN CASE YOU DIDN’T KNOW, THE LATTER HAS BEEN
CANCELLED PERMANENTLY. BUT USMLE STEP 2 CK TESTS YOUR THEORETICAL CLINICAL KNOWLEDGE…
AT THIS STEP THERE IS A LOT ON THE LINE BECAUSE ACING THIS TEST CAN HELP YOU GET INTO SOME
OF THE MOST COMPETITIVE RESIDENCIES OUT THERE! SO IN THIS VIDEO, I’LL EXPLAIN WHAT USMLE
STEP 2 CK IS ALL ABOUT… FROM EXAM FORMAT AND CONTENT TO SPECIFIC TIPS TO HELP YOU ACE
THIS CHALLENGING EXAM! HI! I’M NATALIE STOBERMAN AND I’M AN ADMISSIONS
ASSOCIATE HERE AT BEMO. BEFORE WE GET STARTED, SUBSCRIBE ON WHATEVER SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNEL
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DESCRIPTION OF THIS VIDEO TO NAVIGATE TO SPECIFIC SECTIONS OF THIS VIDEO THAT YOU ARE INTERESTED
IN. HERE’S WHAT WE ARE GOING TO COVER: WHAT IS USMLE STEP 2 CK?
USMLE STEP 2 CK EXAM FORMAT USMLE STEP 2 CK CONTENT
USMLE STEP 2 CK QUESTION FORMATS AND, EXAM-TAKING TIPS
AND WE'RE GIVING AWAY $50 AMAZON GIFT CARDS EVERY WEEK TO THE BEST COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS…
SO COMMENT BELOW FOR A CHANCE TO WIN! WE ALSO HAVE SOME STELLAR ADVICE ON HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY
PREPARE A YOUR USMLE STEP 2 C-K STUDY SCHEDULE, I’LL TALK ABOUT THAT MORE TOWARDS THE END
OF THE VIDEO AND YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS IT… SO, LET’S GET STARTED!
WHAT IS USMLE STEP 2 CK? THE USMLE STEP 2 C-K EVALUATES YOUR ABILITY
TO APPLY MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND UNDERSTANDING OF CLINICAL SCIENCE IMPORTANT FOR THE DELIVERY
OF PATIENT CARE... ONE OF THE UNDERLYING THEMES OF THIS STEPS INCLUDES AN EMPHASIS ON HEALTH
PROMOTION AND DISEASE PREVENTION... THUS STEP 2 C-K IS DESIGNED TO ENSURE EXAMINEES' DEVOTION
TO AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE PRINCIPLES OF CLINICAL SCIENCES AND BASIC PATIENT-CENTERED
SKILLS… ESSENTIALLY, THIS EXAM TESTS YOUR READINESS
TO ENTER MEDICAL PRACTICE AS A SUPERVISED, NOT QUITE INDEPENDENT, PROFESSIONAL. IN ADDITION
TO TESTING YOUR CLINICAL KNOWLEDGE AND THEORETICAL KNOWLEDGE OF CLINICAL SKILLS, STEP 2 CK WILL
ALSO PREPARE YOU FOR THE OSCE ELEMENTS OF YOUR LICENSING EXAMINATIONS… WHICH MEANS
THAT STUDENTS TYPICALLY WRITE THE USMLE STEP 2 CK EXAM IN THE FOURTH YEAR AFTER COMPLETING
THE MAJORITY OF THEIR CLERKSHIP ROTATIONS... USMLE STEP 2 CK EXAM FORMAT
LIKE USMLE STEP 1, THE STEP 2 CK IS A ONE-DAY EXAMINATION... THE ENTIRE TEST IS DIVIDED
INTO EIGHT 60-MINUTE BLOCKS AND ADMINISTERED IN ONE 9-HOUR SESSION… WITH AN AUTHORIZED
45 MINUTES OF BREAK TIME AND A 15 MINUTE OPTIONAL TUTORIAL... YOU CAN POSSIBLY ADD MORE BREAK
TIME IF YOU FINISH YOUR SECTIONS EARLY… ONE WAY TO GAIN AND EXTRA 15 MINUTES IS TO
SKIP THE OPTIONAL TUTORIAL BY DOWNLOADING AND PRACTICING THE TEST INTERFACE PRIOR TO
EXAM DAY… TO GET FAMILIAR WITH THE USMLE STEP 2 CK TEST
FORMAT AND SOFTWARE... PRACTICE WITH THE EXAM TUTORIAL AND PRACTICE TEST ITEMS BEFORE YOUR
TEST DATE… THEN YOU CAN ALSO GET MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE TYPES OF QUESTIONS YOU’LL FACE…
LIKE SINGLE AND SEQUENTIAL MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS, SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACTS, AND ITEMS
WITH AUDIO OR VIDEO FINDINGS... USMLE STEP 2 CK CONTENT
THIS PORTION OF USMLE STEP 2 INCLUDES QUESTIONS THAT ASSESS SYSTEM-BASED PRACTICE, PATIENT
SAFETY, LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES, AND PROFESSIONALISM... ALL USMLE EXAMS ARE DESIGNED BASED ON THE
INTEGRATED CONTENT OUTLINE... SO I HIGHLY ADVISE THAT YOU GO OVER THIS DOCUMENT BEFORE
YOU START STUDYING... THE BOTTOM LINE OF THE USMLE STEP 2 CK CONTENT
IS STRUCTURED ACCORDING TO GENERAL PRINCIPLES AND INDIVIDUAL ORGAN SYSTEMS... CLINICAL KNOWLEDGE
QUESTIONS ARE ORGANIZED INTO ONE OF THE 18 MAJOR CATEGORIES, DEPENDING ON WHETHER THEY
FOCUS ON CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES THAT ARE APPLICABLE ACROSS ORGAN SYSTEMS OR WITHIN
INDIVIDUAL ORGAN SYSTEMS... IN MOST INSTANCES, KNOWLEDGE OF NORMAL PROCESSES
IS EVALUATED IN THE CONTEXT OF A DISEASE PROCESS OR SPECIFIC PATHOLOGY… DO REMEMBER, WHILE
NOT ALL TOPICS IN THE CONTENT OUTLINE WILL BE INCLUDED IN EVERY USMLE EXAM FORM... GENERALLY
CONTENT COVERAGE IS STILL COMPARABLE AMONG THE VARIOUS EXAM FORMS AND STEPS... CONSIDER
THIS USMLE STEP 2 CK CONTENT BREAKDOWN: MEDICINE: 50-60%...
OBSTETRICS AND GYNECOLOGY: 10-20%... PEDIATRICS: 10-15%...
AND, SURGERY: 25-30%... EACH USMLE STEP 2 CK EXAM FORM WILL COVER
CONTENT RELATED TO THESE DISCIPLINES... USMLE STEP 2 CK QUESTION FORMATS
LIKE A MENTIONED EARLIER, YOU WILL FACE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MULTIPLE CHOICE AND ABSTRACT QUESTIONS…
BUT ALLOW ME TO DIG A LITTLE DEEPER INTO THESE QUESTION TYPES SO THAT YOU HAVE A BETTER IDEA
OF WHAT TO EXPECT… >>>SINGLE-ITEM QUESTIONS: THIS IS THE MOST
FREQUENTLY USED MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTION FORMAT... THIS QUESTION TYPE CONSISTS OF A VIGNETTE
AND QUESTION FOLLOWED BY THREE TO TWENTY-SIX RESPONSES THAT ARE ORGANIZED IN AN ALPHABETICAL
OR LOGICAL ORDER... YOU ARE ONLY ASKED TO SELECT THE CORRECT RESPONSE… KEEP IN MIND
THAT OTHER OPTIONS MAY BE PARTIALLY CORRECT, BUT THERE IS ONLY ONE BEST ANSWER...
>>>SEQUENTIAL ITEM SETS: THIS QUESTION FORMAT PRESENTS YOU WITH A SINGLE PATIENT-CENTERED
VIGNETTE WITH TWO OR THREE CONSECUTIVE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PATIENT PROBLEM... EACH QUESTION
IS RELATED TO THE VIGNETTE PRESENTED BUT IS TESTING A DIFFERENT POINT OF THE PATIENT PROBLEM...
YOU MUST CHOOSE THE ONE BEST ANSWER TO EACH QUESTION. IT’S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT
ONCE YOU ANSWER THE FIRST QUESTION, YOU MUST CLICK “PROCEED TO NEXT ITEM” TO VIEW THE
NEXT QUESTION RELATED TO THE VIGNETTE... ONCE THE NEXT QUESTION APPEARS ON THE SCREEN, YOU
WILL NOT BE ABLE TO CHANGE THE ANSWER TO THE PREVIOUS QUESTION, EVEN THOUGH THE PATIENT-PROBLEM
IS STILL THE SAME... THE QUESTIONS ARE DESIGNED TO BE ANSWERED IN SEQUENTIAL ORDER, SO PAY
ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU’RE BEING ASKED AND THE ANSWERS YOU SELECT...
>>>ABSTRACT FORMAT: THE ABSTRACT FORMAT QUESTIONS INCLUDE A SUMMARY OF AN EXPERIMENT OR CLINICAL
INVESTIGATION PRESENTED IN A MANNER COMMONLY ENCOUNTERED BY PHYSICIANS… FOR EXAMPLE,
YOU COULD BE PRESENTED WITH AN ABSTRACT THAT ACCOMPANIES A RESEARCH REPORT IN A MEDICAL
JOURNAL... TEST-TAKERS MUST INTERPRET THE ABSTRACT TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ON VARIOUS TOPICS,
INCLUDING: - DECISIONS ABOUT CARE OF AN INDIVIDUAL PATIENT...
- BIOSTATISTICS AND EPIDEMIOLOGY... - PHARMACOLOGY AND THERAPEUTICS...
- AND, USE OF DIAGNOSTIC STUDIES... CHECK OUT OUR BLOG BELOW FOR HELPFUL SAMPLE
QUESTIONS FOR THE USMLE STEP 2 CK… EXAM-TAKING TIPS
THE AMOUNT OF INFORMATION THIS EXAMINATION COVERS CAN BE OVERWHELMING, BUT STEP 2 CK
TESTS MORE THAN YOUR CLINICAL KNOWLEDGE. IN ADDITION TO PREPARING FOR THE CONTENT YOU
WILL ENCOUNTER IN THE EXAM, YOU SHOULD ALSO WORK ON YOUR EXAM-TAKING STRATEGIES. AS YOU
GO THROUGH PRACTICE QUESTIONS, MAKE IT YOUR HABIT TO PERFORM THE FOLLOWING STRATEGIES
TO INCREASE YOUR EXAM ENDURANCE AND STRESS MANAGEMENT:
>>>READ EACH QUESTION CAREFULLY: YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS BEING ASKED OF YOU EXACTLY.
REMEMBER THAT YOUR ABILITY TO PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND USE COMMON SENSE ARE ALSO BEING
EVALUATED. IF NECESSARY, READ THE VIGNETTE AND ITS QUESTION SEVERAL TIMES TO TAKE NOTE
OF ANY DETAILS. YOU WILL NEED TO ADDRESS THE PATIENT PROBLEM AND THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW
PRECISELY, SO MAKE SURE YOU COMPREHEND YOUR TASK….
>>>TRY TO GENERATE AN ANSWER BEFORE YOU LOOK OVER THE RESPONSES THAT ARE OFFERED TO YOU:
COMING UP WITH SOLUTIONS OF YOUR OWN IS A GREAT WAY TO TRAIN YOURSELF TO FACE ANY POSSIBLE
SCENARIOS YOU WILL FACE IN STEP 2 CK. RATHER THAN RELY ON THE RESPONSE LIST, YOU CAN TRAIN
YOURSELF TO DEDUCT THE CORRECT COURSE OF ACTION INDEPENDENTLY. ONCE YOU DECIDE HOW TO ANSWER
THE QUESTION, YOU CAN CHOOSE THE ANSWER THAT BEST CORRESPONDS TO YOUR SOLUTION.
>>>YOU WILL UNDOUBTEDLY RUN INTO PATIENT PROBLEMS AND QUESTIONS THAT WILL STUMP YOU... IF YOU
CANNOT COME UP WITH YOUR OWN ANSWER, GO AHEAD AND READ EACH OPTION CAREFULLY. IF YOU CANNOT
IDENTIFY THE BEST ANSWER FROM THE GET-GO, START BY ELIMINATING THE CLEARLY INCORRECT
OPTIONS. SELECT THE OPTION YOU DEEM MOST CORRECT OUT THE REMAINING OPTIONS.
REMEMBER TO ALWAYS CHOOSE AN ANSWER, EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT CERTAIN WHETHER YOU CHOOSE
THE RIGHT OPTION... THERE IS NO PENALTY FOR GUESSING BUT UNANSWERED QUESTIONS ARE AUTOMATICALLY
COUNTED AS WRONG ANSWERS. HOW TO PREPARE FOR USMLE STEP 2 CK
TO PREPARE FOR THE USMLE STEP 2 CK, FOCUS ON BROAD-BASED LEARNING THAT FORMS A STRONG
UNDERSTANDING OF CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES IN THE BASIC AND CLINICAL SCIENCES... HERE ARE
SOME STUDY STRATEGIES THAT WILL HELP YOU FIND SOME EASE BEFORE TEST DAY...
>>>DO WELL ON YOUR SUBJECT EXAMS: MEDICAL STUDENTS GENERALLY MUST TAKE A SHELF EXAM
AFTER EACH MAJOR ROTATION, WHICH TESTS THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF THE MATERIAL IN THAT ROTATION...
THESE COMPREHENSIVE EXAMS SHARE THE CONTENT OF USMLE STEP 1 AND STEP 2 CK. THEY WILL HELP
YOU IDENTIFY YOUR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES BEFORE YOU TAKE THE ACTUAL EXAM…. DOING
CONSISTENTLY WELL ON EACH SHELF EXAM MEANS THAT A STUDENT WILL BE WELL PREPARED BY THE
TIME THE STEP 2 CK ROLLS AROUND... >>>START YOUR REVIEW EARLY: I CANNOT STRESS
THIS ENOUGH. AS YOU START MEDICAL SCHOOL, YOU SHOULD KEEP YOUR USMLE STEPS IN MIND...
CRAMMING FOR ANY OF YOUR USMLE EXAMS A FEW WEEKS BEFORE THE TEST DATE IS NOT GOING TO
RESULT IN A GOOD SCORE... TO ENSURE SUCCESS IN YOUR USMLE STEP 2 CK, FORM GOOD STUDY HABITS
TO RETAIN NEW CONTENT AND IMMERSE YOURSELF IN YOUR STUDIES GOING BACK TO YOUR FIRST YEAR
AT MEDICAL SCHOOL…. GET USED TO STUDYING THE CONTENT OF STEP 2 CK AS SOON AS YOU START
YOUR MEDICAL SCHOOL ROTATIONS... SET ASIDE A FEW HOURS EACH WEEK TO GO OVER CONTENT YOU
COVERED IN CLERKSHIPS. REVIEWING YOUR MATERIALS EVERY WEEK WILL SOLIDIFY YOUR KNOWLEDGE BASE
SO WHEN TEST DAY ROLLS AROUND ALL YOU’LL NEED TO DO IS SIMPLY REVIEW YOUR NOTES AND
STUDY MATERIALS... >>>FOCUS ON CLERKSHIPS: ONCE YOU PASS YOUR
USMLE STEP 1, A LOT OF THE CLINICAL KNOWLEDGE YOU’LL WANT TO RETAIN AND IMPLEMENT WILL
BE COVERED IN CLERKSHIP ROTATIONS IN YOUR PROGRAM… CLERKSHIP YEARS ARE DIFFICULT...
IN ADDITION TO THE STRENUOUS AMOUNT OF WORK AND LEARNING, STUDENTS TEND TO HAVE LESS FREE
TIME TO RELAX, EAT, OR EVEN SLEEP... ON TOP OF THAT, MANY STUDENTS START TO WORRY ABOUT
THE RESIDENCY MATCH, POTENTIAL CAREER CHOICES AND DOING WELL ON THEIR STEP 2…. WHILE IT’S
NATURAL TO HAVE WORRIES WHEN YOU’RE OVERWHELMED, WE STRONGLY URGE YOU TO FOCUS ON THE CONTENT
MATERIAL YOU WILL BE PRESENTED WITH IN EACH ROTATION… THIS WILL BE THE KEY TO YOUR SUCCESS
IN THE USMLE STEP 2 CK. APPROACH EACH CLERKSHIP ROTATION AS IF YOU ARE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING
IT AS A POTENTIAL CAREER CHOICE. LEARN, UNDERSTAND, AND MEMORIZE ALL THE BASICS NEEDED TO PERFORM
IN THAT FIELD OF MEDICINE... NOT ONLY WILL THIS ALLOW YOU TO HONE YOUR CLINICAL SKILLS,
BUT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ASSESS YOUR FIT FOR EACH SPECIALTY HONESTLY BECAUSE YOU GAVE 100%
TO EACH ROTATION… >>>PRACTICE TESTS: MANY STUDENTS SWEAR BY
THE UWORLD PRACTICE TESTS AND QUESTION BANK... SUBSCRIBING EARLY TO THE UWORLD QUESTION BANK
SOON AFTER CONCLUDING STEP 1 AND BEGINNING YOUR CLINICAL ROTATIONS IS A WISE MOVE...
HOWEVER, THE UWORLD PRACTICE TESTS THEMSELVES HAVE BEEN REPORTEDLY INCONSISTENT FOR STUDENTS
IN TERMS OF PREDICTING THEIR SCORES... WE WOULD EMPHASIZE THE QUALITY OF THE QUESTION
BANK ITSELF RATHER THAN THE PRACTICE TESTS... ADDITIONALLY, THE AAMC OFFERS A SERIES OF
USMLE PRACTICE TESTS WHICH ARE ACTUALLY OLD TEST FORMS THAT MAY BE MORE ACCURATE IN REFLECTING
THE EXAM AND PREDICTING YOUR SCORES... WHETHER YOU CHOOSE THE UWORLD OR AAMC PRACTICE
TESTS, TAKE THOSE PRACTICE TESTS AS MANY TIMES AS POSSIBLE... AND DON'T FORGET TO MAKE NOTES
ABOUT THE CONTENT YOU STRUGGLE WITH. THAT WAY YOU CAN CUSTOMIZE YOUR STUDY SCHEDULE
TO COMPENSATE FOR THE AREAS WHERE YOU NEED MORE HELP IN...
THOSE ARE OUR TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL STUDY PREP FOR THE USMLE STEP 2 CK... CHECK OUT
OUR BLOG TO FIND MORE RESOURCES TO ACE THE USMLE STEP 2 CK... I HAVE INCLUDED THE LINK
IN THE DESCRIPTION OF THIS VIDEO FOR EASY ACCESS... IF YOU WOULD LIKE US TO HELP YOU
MATCH YOUR TOP-CHOICE RESIDENCY PROGRAM, VISIT BEMORESIDENCYAPPLICATION.COM TO SCHEDULE YOUR
FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION... HOPEFULLY YOU ENJOYED THIS VIDEO SO PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, LIKE
AND LEAVE A COMMENT. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT USMLE STEP 2 CK THAT I DIDN’T COVER,
LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENT SECTION AND I WILL GET BACK TO YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE... DON’T
FORGET THAT WE'RE GIVING AWAY $50 AMAZON GIFT CARDS EVERY WEEK TO THE BEST COMMENTS AND
QUESTIONS… SO COMMENT BELOW FOR A CHANCE TO WIN. THANKS FOR WATCHING AND SEE YOU NEXT