landolfe
Forum Newbie
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I just took the CS exam last week in Chicago. I was so nervous before this exam. I had studied for about 4 weeks and I think it was sufficient for this exam. I recommend you study this long if your physical examination skills are weak (most people only need 2 weeks). I studied so long b/c I wanted to secure myself a good grade and a confident feeling when I walked into the exam.
So I was still nervous when I walked in, as everyone will be. My exam was in the afternoon which I recommend b/c I was able to review some FA minicases before the exam and relax a little. The Chicago center was very nice and the proctors were very friendly. You should know that you get out around 10:15-10:30pm in the afternoon session but you are so amped with energy that you don't feel tired until the very last case. Oh, you should know that the food at the center is'nt the best but it is edible I guess. I was too nervous to eat much but I do remember they had some hard french bread, ham, turkey slices, not-so-good roast beef, and pasta with mayo that was blah. I wish they had put a toaster at the center I mean that cold-ass sandwich was pretty gross for $1200!!!! Don't expect much in terms of food for Chicago...
Anyways let me continue, during the exam I developed a tension headache and my head was pounding during the last few cases but it was bearable b/c everyone was very professional and I did'nt get any crazy cases. I was so worried that I would get a screaming patient who was in too much pain to let me examine them but this never happened. Be comforted in that all of the cases were right out of FA or USMLE World.
Before I go on I just want to mention that I actually paid for an available web-based program called USMLESource which actually advertises that they have "more" cases than any other resource and that they have videos. Do not be mislead, these are NOT videos of actual case encounters where they show a doctor with a patient interaction! They are some guy with a hard-to-understand accent just reading what is written on the page! It is totally a rip-off. The cases were also poorly written, with tons of typos and confusing case-encounters. Do not waste your time or money.
Once again, the key to success is reading FA as much as possible and if you have time USMLE Source. Most importantly though is practice those cases!!!
So the actors where very professional and the cases were what you would find in everyday practice, nothing to be worried about. You will do fine if you practice enough. I have no idea what I scored but I know that I did'nt finish a few cases b/c the 15 minutes fly! I think I may have performed well though just b/c I had reviewed the damn cases so much that it was second nature to write up the PN's with the differential. Know those minicases like the back of your hand so you save some precious seconds just quickly writing down your differential instead of having to think too much about it.
Oh you should know that it is not allowed to set your watch to the 12 o'clock mark before each case so that you can time yourself for the 15 minutes (I saw this recommendation on a webpage once). I saw a proctor tell someone that this is not allowed. But you may want to call USMLE to confirm this.
Ok, I wish you all the best of luck. You will ace this exam if you take the necessary steps!!!
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