caduceus
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hi i m img...many of my seniors failed in cs esp in cis section.....
they told me to do kaplan course...
i wana ask which one should i go for 6 days / 5 days/ single day mock exam..?i do lack confidence in communication..thats why i feel i should do it...
plz do reply...
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| damselMD
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that's great that you are honest with yourself and where you might need more practice. Communication is important so that's good that you recognize it. That being said, it is possible to study on your own, but a review course will make you feel more comfortable and confident, and that is an important part of the exam as well.
i am not sure why Kaplan is 5 days long plus one day of mock exam. i am sure that by then end of the week you will pass since there is just so much practice and feedback from the course within the 5 days. But from my understanding, the 10 practice SPs plus i guess another 12 SP for the mock exam, then you should be well-prepared to take the real exam right after the exam.
the C3NY class is 3 days total, one day history-taking, one day PE, one day practice patients. but i am not sure if it is as personalized, with as much feedback as the Kaplan course.
personally, i didn't take any review classes. i studied on my own using FA and UW. and i passed. i wished i had more practice partners and is the reason i wished i took a class while i was reviewing. i reviewed mostly on my own, talking to myself and writing down everything i would say. practicing a PE with a pillow! but i passed somehow.
good luck.
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| caduceus
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thanks...that was a boost up...
thats wat one of my seniors told me that as i dnt have study partner its better to spend some bucks n do it....at end of 5 days one wl be confident in communication part...for the knowledge thng one has to read uw and fa...
any other inputs wl be appreciated seniors...esp those who have already done it...plz...
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| caduceus
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i know abt c3ny bt thats in newyork..i have no one there...i have frnds in chicago...so i think wl do kaplan...
bt these guys charge a lot...
2800$ for 5 days
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| babydoc4usmle
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worth every penny of it
very intensive course, you won't see much of outside world during those 5 or 6odays
6th day is basically an exam simulation with additional 12 SPs and feedback
throuhout 5 days you will have 15 encounters in total: 3 as a training tool an 12 within 2 days just like on the exam
like someone already said before, many people turn to kaplan after 1 or 2 failures....why wait? to spend even more time an money?
it may be not kaplan, it may be something else, but the point is, if you need help seek for it, and do not listen to anyone who says that you need nothing.....no one knows better you than yourself.
think
and good luck
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| caduceus
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thanks a ton....
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| caduceus
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should i give the real exam within 5 days of doin cs course?or should take time after that...?
of course i would complete uw and fa before classes...
do i need to do revision of uw and fa after classes r done....???
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| damselMD
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i didn't know that the kaplan review is so intensive... after that, i think you can do take the exam the next day.
i would do it soon after the review class. since you will have more than enough practice with the SPs from kaplan. and then use your friends as guinea pigs afterwards... especially if you add FA and UW on top of the class.
good luck
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| upstatedoc
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Hi, my friend took the Step 2cs Review course last weekend and said it was excellent. the teacher was communication skills instructor for kaplan and really great SPs to practice with. it was two day program for like 600 dollars. nobody really knows about it yet.
-good luck
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| Ivonne
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You guys are selling kaplan products in this thread... wonder who is a kaplan agent here. I passed the exam just using FA $30, UW $60 and phone bill for 1 month 40$ and phone study partner that i met in this forum.
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| caduceus
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thanks..a lot...
@ivonne
i dnt thnk these ppl are kaplan agents....
even nt me coz i know that c3ny is a great course what my frnds told me....
though kaplan is too expensive...bt it helps one in communication thats what i learnt..
its subjective....
uw+fa is best combo though....
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| caduceus
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and if you have doubt abt ppl being kaplan agents..just check their profile n see where all they have replied in posts...u wl know it all...
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| babydoc4usmle
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Ivonne, i am very proud of you, but if people take Kaplan, it doesn't mean that they are spoiled rich kids, and don't know what to do with their time and money
Kaplan sells not because it is talked abou it, but simply because it's good
and they are not taking whole lot of people (there are only 2 centers in the whole country)
if there is an alternative and you are comfortable with it - go for it
courses for those, who needs help
I had UW, FA and reading it didn't give me any additional info to what i already knew
when i stared training with partnet after the course i knew what mistakes i was making, and what mistakes my partner was making
before that - it all looked good to me
it's is really up to each and every one, but it was too much risk for me to go for the exam and fail it, and then to pay for the course and nother exam and another airfair.....and missed match........too much
good luck
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| P4a99
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babydoc4usmle, as a 99er, were you really worried you wont pass CS? (is it that tricky?) or you just wanted to ace it?
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| babydoc4usmle
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concepts of step 1 and 2ck are not working on step 2 cs
the fact that i am a "99er" (thank you) is not helping at all
in fact, if you go through forum you will find quite a few members who had very high scores in 1 and ck, but failed cs
this is a comunication skills exam, and i did have to make sure that i pass it
reading books i was not comfortable enough to go into exam room
and i an very gral that i took kaplan
it worked for me, but there are many of IMGs who "read FA on the plane" and feel fine
all i am trying to say is if you need help look for it, and don't listen for those who are comfortable by reading books
you need help, not someone else, and you are the one who will hold that exam report at the end.
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| Doc750
transfer:step 3 prison
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I'm with ivonne, save your money .. the cost of this exam is already a rip off. Read FA, do UW, and practise, practise, practise with a partner.
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| P4a99
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You have a point babydoc and I agree with you. If someone needs help he should seek help.
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| damselMD
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i am not sure why this thread came up this way... but if you read my posts, i say that i didn't take any CS review courses... so i am not a kaplan agent...
i did it on my own with FA and UW. i didn't have a steady partner either.... i talked to myself out loud, wrote down the questions i would have asked my imaginary patient, practiced the PE on a pillow... and my regret about not taking a review course was because i didn't have a steady practice partner... but i passed.
i think that the review courses are really expensive, but you have to consider that some IMGs don't use English as their first language. and even where medicine was taught in English, how often would they speak to their patients in English? so there are going to be IMGs who need the extra help and practice with SPs and need the feedback and more guidance. and that is where the review courses help.
and that's why i always say be honest with yourself and decide if you are willing to pay the expensive price for a review course. otherwise, of course, it is possible to pass the exam with just the review books and practicing.
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| babydoc4usmle
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at the end of the day, it's a personal matter "to pay or not to pay?", "to take or not to take?", "to be or not to be?"
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| Ivonne
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Don't get me wrong, indeed you will make your own choice, we all are different but if you just START to practice with someone else you will notice that everytime you practice it gets easier and you actually can master it. I would use that money to do an externship/observership which is a plus in your resume(USCE), get you LORs and make you confident with american patients. All the best.
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| paheli
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i have a qn for this thread. how much of the course that you may attend will focus on language issues, and how much is for medical knowledge per se?
put in another way, for a person whose communication skills are pretty good, is there anything to be gained from these classes?
thank you.
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| babydoc4usmle
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people,
if you think that you know what this exam is about, and/or feel you rather spend your money elsewhere - don't hesitate and act accordingly
if you think that you need someone to explain to you and show to you what this exam is about, let you practice and will give you feed back of your performance, give you the opportunity to correct your mistakes before you step inside of the exam room, and/or you want to meet those who failed already once or twice - don't hesitate and act accordingly
peace
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| paheli
It'sAllAboutGoodKarma
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thanks for your reply, babydoc. i am/was not looking for someone to make my decision for me. but i'm looking for varied perspectives on the course, which will help me to reach the decision that's right for me. having followed the thread for a couple of days now, i feel that the qn i have asked was not fully adressed. and hence i posed it.
this thread has two sides, one that says it's imp to improve your communication, that says it's better to pay for it and clear the test the first time around, rather than pay more later. the other side says it's not that hard, you can very well save the hefty fee and spend it on, for instance, ucse.
my qn is not related to either of these scenarios.
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Prepare as if you're the worst, Perform as if you're the best! As you dream, so you manifest. So, DREAM BIG!! When you face hardship, remember, God never gives you more than you can handle. Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows.
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| chiqui
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I've said it before and I'll say it again, at the expense of being called a kaplan agent or a spoiled rich kid. I took Kaplan 6 day and highly recommend it. I agree that it is very expensive, but my opinion is that it is worth it. There were a lot of people with me that studied on their own first, failed the exam and then took the course. I finished the course on a Saturday and took the exam that monday with no additional study. I could not afford to fail this exam. I passed and do not regret having taken the course. Good luck with your decision.
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| babydoc4usmle
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paheli, what we are calling "communication" in real life and on the exam are 2 different things
during the course you will be exposed to all kind of different little things that you would not think were important, but in fact are important in order to pass an exam
american grads don't prepare for the exam per se only because they have experience in clinics here in US and know those liitle things
and again, i can not stress enough, that real life situations and exam "protocol" are not the same, and in order to pass the exam you have to be aware of those differences
i don't know what else to say, except, i am glad i made a decision to take that course, and i passed the exam
and it is true, that many turn to this course after 1-2-3 failures
and it is also true that even more people pass exam on their own with 0-1-2-...failures
there is no rule, there is no common ground on preparation, but there are rules to follow to pass the exam
i didn't know them, and that is why i took the course
if there is anything more to say.....well, just say it
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