The pandemic put the Step 2 Clinical Skills test temporarily on hold, but now USMLE leaders say it’s gone for good. Here’s what drove the decision — and what lies ahead.
Now that a major, 17-year-old medical licensing exam is gone, educators and students are feeling their way forward.
The daylong, in-person Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) test — designed to assess aspiring doctors’ communication and physical exam techniques — was put on hold last March in response to the pandemic. Then, in a shift that shocked many observers, the exam’s sponsors — the Federation of State Medical Boards and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) — announced on Jan. 26 that they were no longer exploring how to revive it.