Talking with a friend who’s moving out here for residency, she told me that almost everyone passes the “Step 2: Clinical Skills” exam, which just started in 2004. Basically, you spend a day seeing standardized patients, writing up your differential and the labs you’d order.

98% of MD candidates last year passed it on their first try, and 97% passed it a repeat try. So out of 16,936 exams, only 10 students did not pass it, and almost all passed it on their first try.

What’s the point of even having a test if everyone passes? Answer: Money.

The USMLE organization took in $1007 per exam : that works out to be over $17 MILLION that they received for this exam. It’s a waste of money, a waste of time, and just more loaned money that I have to pay back later for a stupid, ridiculous test that does nothing to ensure that medical schools are preparing their students for “fundamental clinical skills essential to safe and effective patient care under supervision.”

This of course doesn’t take into consideration that you can only take the test in LA, Philadelphia, Houston, Chicago, or Atlanta, so if you don’t live there, you have to fly there, get a hotel room, etc. That’s at least $500 more right there.

And if you don’t pass? You work something out with your home institution.

What a crock.

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