Step 2 CK
Per the USMLE website, "Step 2 CK assesses an examinee’s ability to apply medical knowledge, skills, and understanding of clinical science essential for the provision of patient care under supervision and includes emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention. Step 2 CK ensures that due attention is devoted to principles of clinical sciences and basic patient-centered skills that provide the foundation for the safe and competent practice of medicine under supervision. Step 2 CK is a one-day examination. It is divided into eight 60-minute blocks and administered in one 9-hour testing session. The number of questions per block on a given examination will vary but will not exceed 40. The total number of items on the overall examination will not exceed 318."
STEP 2 Office of Student Affairs Support
The Office of Student Affairs offers a variety of support services and resources for students preparing for Step 2 CK in the third year of their medical education including:
- UWorld Subscription (provided by VTC)
- NBME Practice Exam voucher(s) (provided by VTC)
- 1:1 guidance and support for each student
- VTC also partners with Dr. Yisrael Katz, MD Founder and CEO of Clinical Strategy LLC for additional support and student coaching.
Step 2 CK
Step 2 CK is constructed according to an integrated content outline that organizes clinical science material along two dimensions - physician task and disease category.
Examination Content
Step 2 CK includes test items in the following content areas:
- Internal medicine
- Obstetrics and gynecology
- Pediatrics
- Preventive medicine
- Psychiatry
- Surgery
- Other areas relevant to provision of care under supervision
Most Step 2 CK test items describe clinical situations and require that you provide one or more of the following:
- Diagnosis
- Prognosis
- Indications of underlying mechanisms of disease
- Next steps in medical care, including preventive measures
Step 2 CK is a broadly based, integrated examination. It frequently requires interpretation of tables and laboratory data, imaging studies, photographs of gross and microscopic pathologic specimens, and results of other diagnostic studies.
Please note that much of the content that addresses normal growth and development and general principles of care is also related to the individual organ systems categories, so that the number of questions that deal solely with normal growth and development and general principles of care is relatively small.
Sample Step 2 CK test materials and further information on Step 2 CK test content is available at the USMLE website.