A common question asked is about the scoring for the USMLE Step 3 CCS. How is the CCS section scored? The USMLE states that the CCS portion will test competency in the following area: Diagnosis which includes History/Physical Exam, Laboratory/Diagnostic studies, Diagnosis, Prognosis/Outcome. It will also test Management which includes Health maintenance/Disease prevention, Pharmacotherapy, Clinical Interventions, and Mixed management. Communication and Professionalism are also tested.
Other things to be considered in the scoring for the USMLE Step 3 CCS:
The timing and sequencing of actions will affect your score. Actions that are potentially harmful will negatively affect your score. The USMLE states: “Seemingly correct management decisions made in a suboptimal or incorrect sequence or after a delay in simulated time may receive little or no credit.”
Normally diet orders and ambulation orders carry “little to no weight in scoring unless they are particularly relevant to the care such as a specific diet order for a patient with diabetes.”
Some cases you are scored based on NOT doing aggressive intervention. You will score high if you do a “wait and see” approach for these cases.
Location is important for scoring. It is important to not elevate to a higher level of care unless this is clinically warranted.
Diagnoses and reasons for consultations will NOT be used in scoring, so do not be overly concerned about this.
All of these scoring for the USMLE Step 3 CCS is built into ccscases.com. We score each case based on the diagnostic orders, treatment, preventative care, location, and sequencing. This helps you get used to the things that you will be asked on test day and how to diagnose and treat commonly seen CCS cases.
You don’t have to take our word for it, you can check it out for yourself. You can download our free demo with 2 fully functional cases here.