The Student Affairs team has developed this guide to help you successfully complete your Step 2 CK exam, a vital Phase 3 milestone and graduation requirement. We hope this resource will make preparing for the exam easier. We are confident that your increased exposure to NBME questions provided by the clerkship practice vouchers, the NBME clerkship exams and the CCSE will help with assessing your progress toward Step 2 CK success.
Step 2 CK is an exam that assesses medical knowledge, skills and understanding of clinical science for the provision of patient care under supervision. USMLE Step Exams have traditionally been an important factor in candidate selection for residency. With the transition of USMLE Step 1 to Pass/Fail in January of 2022, Step 2 may become an important metric for residency selection. It is in your best interest to do your best on this exam.
Contact your lead advisor to develop an individualized study plan.
-
You must register through the NBME.
-
Your registration will be verified by the registrar’s office. You do not need to submit any additional documentation.
-
When registering, ALL students, no matter their campus, must choose “015010 – Indiana University School of Medicine”
-
When you register for your exam, you will choose a three-month window of eligibility.
-
The cost of the exam is $670 in 2024 and $680 in 2025. Phase 2 financial aid for “Books and Supplies” includes the cost of Step 2 CK.
-
Exam slots fill up quickly, so we recommend scheduling your exam as soon as possible, but no later than April 1, so that you have the best options for dates and locations.
-
The earlier you schedule, the more options you’ll have for dates and locations.
-
Important dates to keep in mind are listed at the bottom of this guide.
-
Schedule your exam with Prometric.
-
Comprehensive Clinical Science Exam (CCSE) is a practice examination for Step 2 CK. This exam is available only to institutions and given as a proctored exam. The exam consists of 200 questions and lasts 5 hours and 15 minutes (includes 15-minute optional break).
-
The CCSE is meant to help you determine your strengths and areas for improvement as you prepare for Step 2 CK.
-
The CCSE score can also be used to help determine if you will need additional resources and can help you and your advisor better estimate the amount of time you will need to prepare for Step 2 CK.
-
All students are required to take the CCSE on one of two dates: March 28, 2025, or April 29, 2025.
-
The deadline for taking Step 2 CK is August 28, 2024 (Class of 2025) and August 27, 2025 (Class of 2026). This ensures that your score is available in time for inclusion in your ERAS residency application.
-
Your lead advisor will be reaching out to you if you are not scheduled to take your exam by this date.
-
The Student Promotions Committee will require submission of a delay request and plan by August 29, 2024 (Class of 2025) and August 28, 2025 (Class of 2026) if you aren’t scheduled to take Step 2 CK by the deadline. Your plan should include the study resources you plan to use, a detailed timeline and the date by which you plan to take your exam.
-
Take advantage of the online practice materials from USMLE. This is a crucial part of your Step 2 CK preparation plan.
-
Step 2 CK official test resources.
-
Longitudinal Learning: Using Clerkships to Perform on Step 2 CK
-
Attend the IU School of Medicine Student Success Presentation on creating a personalized study plan for Step 2 CK in April.
-
Work with a tutor.
Each of your clerkships and their practice and actual NBME exams will help you prepare for Step 2 CK. In addition, IU School of Medicine has developed a Step 2 CK estimator to give students an early estimate of their potential performance on the Step 2 CK examination to help inform residency selection. This is an estimate based on prior performance measures and is not meant to be viewed as an exact score predictor. Your actual performance on Step 2 CK will be influenced by many factors — principally your preparation and study — and you may perform better or worse than this estimator predicts.
-
Students who plan to apply for accommodations for Step 2 CK are encouraged to apply as early as possible.
-
The NBME can take a minimum of 60 business days (three months) to review applications for accommodations.
-
Reach out to Beth Tidball at btidball@iu.edu for help with your application for accommodations.
-
If you are scheduled to end Phase 2 after April, your Step 2 CK deadline will be four months after the completion of Phase 2 clerkships. The Student Promotions Committee will require submission of a delay request and plan if you aren’t scheduled to take Step 2 CK within four months. Your plan should include the study resources you plan to use, a detailed timeline and the date by which you plan to take your exam.
-
You will not be allowed to start any Phase 3 required clerkships until Step 2 CK is taken. Please contact Dr. Klemsz to discuss the timing of your practice exam and your Phase 3 clerkships.
-
We will work with you to help you reschedule the exam.
-
We will help you with your study plan and can connect you to tutors and other resources to help with your preparation.
-
You will need to meet with Dr. Deb Rusk to discuss how your Step 2 CK failure will affect your ERAS application and competitiveness.
-
Your failure will be reported to the Student Promotions Committee who may have additional actions.
First, be kind to yourself. It is normal to feel anxious about things that are very important to you. Also, know that you are not alone. The student affairs team is here to support you! We believe in you! We also understand that preparing for this exam can be a source of stress and can create anxiety and feelings of being overwhelmed. We believe that it takes a strong network of support to get through all of the phases of medical school and have worked hard to create that support for you.
Mental Health Services are available to work with students on many issues such as test anxiety that might interfere with exam performance. All of their services are confidential. You can log into the Mental Health Services patient portal to schedule appointments, access virtual care or communicate with the department, or contact the program coordinator at 317-278-2383 to set up a time to meet with any of the providers.
-
Save a copy of your score report — IU School of Medicine can’t provide a copy to residency programs.
-
We strongly recommend completing all Phase 2 clerkships before taking your Step 2 exams.
-
Take Step 2 CK when you feel confident in your ability to achieve your goal score.
Required CCSE: March 28, 2025, or April 29, 2025
Deadline to take Step 2 CK: Aug. 28, 2024 (Class of 2025) and Aug. 27, 2025 (Class of 2026)
Deadline to submit delay request plan to SPC: Aug. 29, 2024 (Class of 2025) and Aug. 28, 2025 (Class of 2026)
Deadline to take delayed Step 2 CK: Oct. 12, 2024 (Class of 2025) and Oct. 11, 2025 (Class of 2026)
Students may request a one-time-only, contiguous three-month extension to their eligibility period. The fee for an extension is $70 per registration. The request and fee must be submitted no later than one month after your current eligibility period expires.
Instructions from NBME
To submit a request, log in to your account on NLES, click on the “Full Details” link for your exam, and click the “Extend Eligibility Period” button in the “Apply” box. If you have an appointment scheduled during your current eligibility period and need to reschedule the appointment for your extended eligibility period, you must cancel or reschedule with Prometric. Requesting an extension of your eligibility period does not cancel a scheduled appointment. A fee may be charged by Prometric if you change your appointment, depending upon how much notice you provide when making the change. See the appointment change fee schedule on the USMLE website for detailed information.
If you cancelled your appointment within 45 days of the scheduled test date or did not test as scheduled, you need to call Prometric as directed on your scheduling permit and pay a fee to Prometric to reinstate your eligibility record before you submit your request for an eligibility period extension. We will issue a revised scheduling permit two to three business days after processing your request and notify you by email. Upon receipt of your revised scheduling permit, you may contact Prometric to schedule an appointment.