<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (August 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (August 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> Step 2 Clinical Skills (Step 2 CS) of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) is an exam administered to medical students / graduates who wish to become licensed physicians in the U.S. It is similar to the COMLEX - USA Level 2 - PE exam, taken by osteopathic medical students / graduates who seek licensure as physicians in the U.S. For US medical students, the exam fee is $1,285 (as of December 2018). For medical students at foreign medical schools, the tests cost is higher--currently $1,535 . These fees do not include costs associated with travel and lodging to take the test . Historically, US students have taken Step 2 CS late in their senior year, prior to graduation . However, now that more residency programs require students to record a passing score, many US medical schools recommend students take Step 2 CS in the fall of their senior year . </P> <P> The USMLE Step 2CS exam consists of a series of patient encounters in which the examinee must see standardized patients (SPs), take a history, do a physical examination, determine differential diagnoses, and then write a patient note based on their determinations . The topics covered are common outpatient or Emergency Room visits which are encountered in the fields of internal medicine, surgery, psychiatry, pediatrics, and obstetrics and gynecology . Examinees are expected to investigate the simulated patient's chief complaint, as well as obtain a thorough assessment of their past medical history, medications, allergies, social history (including alcohol, tobacco, drug use, sexual practices, etc .), and family history . Usually, examinees have one telephone encounter, speaking to an SP through a microphone during which there is no physical exam component . </P>

When do you take usmle step 2 cs