Most students don’t think about mindset when it comes to their CS exam…
But having the right mindset when you walk into those exam rooms can make all the difference in your encounters.
After working with hundreds and hundreds of medical students and helping them prepare for their Step 2 CS exam, I’ve been able to pinpoint two core mindsets that differentiates the students who effortlessly pass the CS exam and those who struggle to make even the slightest improvements…
If you can adopt these two simple, yet highly powerful mindsets when preparing for your exam, you’ll find that the process becomes easier and more enjoyable.
Mindset #1: A service mindset… This means that you approach each patient as though you’re there to serve them… They’re not there to give you points based on what you’re doing.
This type of ‘service’ mindset will ensure that you’re not coming across as someone whose simply trying to collect points and pass an exam, but rather someone who genuinely cares and wants to help.
Mindset #2: A detail-oriented mindset…This means having a strong desire to master each small detail and nuance that’s needed to succeed throughout the CS exam. The USMLE details everything that they expect of a student during the CS exam (rapport, empathy, strong question-asking skills, the ability to interpret a patient’s needs, etc). Those students who strive to master and implement all of these requirements into their encounters always come out on top.
Adopting these shifts in mindset aren’t too difficult, you simply need to be aware of what you need to do so that you can implement them as you prepare for and take the exam.
Keep these two shifts in mindset in mind and you’ll likely find that you’re instantly better at performing cases and in turn instantly better at doing exactly what the CS is looking for out of your performance.
Want to become a Step 2 CS expert? Get a free digital copy of my new book ‘The USMLE Step 2 CS Survival Guide for Medical Students’; this book spells out the entire process of preparing properly for your CS exam from A to Z. Copy & paste this link into your browser for instant access: http://bit.ly/drpaulcsbook