Opinions from our BEST students
"I've returned to Iowa after completing the course that Dr. Jacob taught, and it was just what I required to help me put my knowledge into the USMLE CS exam context. They are excellent teachers. The individualized attention suited my learning style.
Your course really helped me... I knew all the material in the book, yet I needed some organization to the matter, which you so aptly provided. I also needed to know the jargon and what exactly to say, and I've learned it all from your course. Dr. Jacob in Chicago has a wonderful knack of teaching. Thank you very much, Dr. Jacob... more later..."
-Dr. Dennis Dey
"I’m an osteopathic medical student (D.O.) from the United States. I just wanted to give my review of Dr. Jacob’s STEP2IT USMLE Step 2 CS Course, or in my case for the COMLEX-USA Level 2-PE Exam.
I was looking for a review course because I didn’t want to take any chances with this exam and I wanted to make sure that I pass. When I communicated with Dr. Jacob via email he seemed very knowledgeable and he was very caring more than anything else. It wasn’t just another review course. He really wants the best for all of his students; to pass.
This exam really prepares students, not only for medical school and clinical rotations but also as future physicians. I know a lot of people don’t consider it very important but in actuality, it is a very important step to take. I feel much more prepared after taking this course with Dr. Jacob. It definitely exceeded my expectations and that’s why I decided to give this review.
Getting there was real easy. I just flew into the airport and rented a car. It was really hassle-free and pretty much what I expected. Dr. Jacob, he was very thorough about the accommodations and where to stay, what to do. I have no complaints regarding the accommodations whatsoever.
I think everyone should take a course if they have the time and resources available. You can obviously practice with partners, read a book, but it will never replace an actual live class such as Dr. Jacob’s. Especially because he works with you on such a personal level, you cannot replace that. He has years of experience and he knows exactly what to hit in terms of both the CIS and the ICE for the USMLE as well as Biomedical/Biomechanical and the Humanistic portions for the COMLEX. I wanted more of a one on one, small group type of session rather than a big classroom and I think that worked out very well. You are not going to get this type of experience with any other review course.
Dr. Jacob provides personal one on one feedback regarding your performance and your weaknesses. I think that is one of the most beneficial things regarding taking STEP2IT rather than the others. I feel much more prepared on day 4 than I was on day 1, that’s without a doubt. Even if you think that you “have it all down”, there are so many things that you can’t think about all at once during the encounters. Dr. Jacob knows what he’s talking about through years of experience. He will brush up on all those points with you.
After taking the course I feel confident going ahead and taking this exam now. I think every student out there, whether IMG or US students, should consider a review course. Especially STEP2IT. It is all on a much more personal level than the other courses and I’m grateful for that. I think that’s hard to find these days.
Good luck to everybody out there, give it your best. And we’ll see you out there in the hospitals.
-Dr. Charles Danish
"It was an excellent experience coming here. I came here for coaching in order to somehow pass the exam. With Dr. Jacob’s help, I have revived an interest in clinical medicine.
We are really grateful and thankful to him for what he has done for us and he has put hours and hours of hard work with us. In just 3 days we had done 18 cases and it has really helped us a lot clinically and in every way. I was very weak with Patient Notes. With Dr. Jacob’s help, I really could do it on time.
We thank you Dr. Jacob! We’re NOT scared of the CS anymore!"
-DR. SOMAYA CHOUDHARY
"I’m “almost” a graduate of AUC (American University of the Caribbean). I’m a 4th yr. medical student. I had no idea what to expect in terms of the exam. I knew we had to go over cases but I didn’t understand fully know how we’re being graded or what was to be expected.
I had spoken to one of my friends, Shail, and he had mentioned that he took this course and absolutely loved it. He told me to come in and take the course as well. He has already passed and done very well.
I was used to taking real patient cases with pretty much having no plan, no preparation at all. I just went with my “wing-it” skills. Usually, with my personality, I’d be able to get most of the information out of the patient. I’d just take the chart and just walk right in. That’s how I’ve always done it and it got me by; but I always missed a couple things here and there, and I was never able to do it that fast. But in the exam when you have 15 minutes to get it all done, and you got 10 minutes for the notes, it’s impossible to do it that way.
On the first case during class, it took me 20-25 minutes to get through history. At first I noticed how much I was lacking in my interview abilities; my physical exam and note taking. So going in with a plan, which Dr. Jacob helped me establish, and some sort of a outline, it was really good to have some sort of plan and preparation before even entering the room. I would spend about a minute beforehand and just go through it all and come up with a “plan of attack”. And I had never really done that before. Not only was I able to get more information out, but within the 15 minutes. And by doing so, when you’re able to get more of this information out, you have more time for the physical. Then when it comes to patient notes it takes less time too because you have so much information to write in there.
For me, this course was just really, really helpful. Not only will this help me for the CS, but also I think this will help me in real life. Because now there’s no way, with the plan I have, when going in to see patients; I’d miss anything when it comes to history taking.
I absolutely loved the course and I’m really looking forward to taking this exam. If you’re considering taking this course and if; interviewing, history taking, physical exam and noting taking are not your strong suit, come in and do it. And even if it IS, honestly, this will help you become a better doctor and it’ll make you feel a little more confident.
I’m gonna go into the exam with confidence and I’m not scared at all; so bring it on! Good luck with the rest of your path and good luck with this exam. Hopefully, this marathon has some light at the end of the tunnel!"
-Dr. Stefan Mann
"As far as my appreciation is concerned, Dr. Jacob is an amazing person. He takes care of you,; not only as far as the CS is concerned, but also on a personal basis. What I would say is that my investment has been less and my returns are far more than I have thought.
This is probably one of the best courses for people who are planning to give CS exam. It gives a different picture and concept of how to approach cases. It doesn’t teach how to just “pass”, but it takes us way beyond and gives us an edge. Thank you, Dr. Jacob, it was really great to work with you."
-Dr. Kumar Sambhav
"I got a lot more out of this course than I had expected to, considering the time investment and the price. It was exactly what I needed in my final few days of preparation for the exam. Both of the teachers did a superb job of focusing on my weak points and simulating the actual exam environment. Their tailored one on one approach enabled me to feel confident on the test day and be ready for whatever was waiting for me behind each door. Thanks a lot guys!"
-Dr. Artem Sunik
"Having enrolled in STEP2IT was the best choice I've ever made for CS!! Dr. Jacob is a great teacher. He listens to you, gives you the proper advice, works on your weaknesses and encourages your strengths. He has worked for many years preparing students and has done the processes himself which is great because he understands us and our needs.
His one-to-one method is what worked the most for me. He was focused on what I needed most, and we worked hard in correcting them. You don't feel like you're part of a big class and Dr. Jacob doesn't care that it isn’t; he is caring and is very friendly. He helped me pass successfully my exam, which I am very happy and grateful! :)
If you're an IMG I highly recommend it because he is very understanding. It also helps a lot that he is a native English speaker. He also explains very well how medicine is practiced in the USA. Even if you're an AMG, he will help you a lot. Don't doubt in enrolling!"
-Dr. Emily Danies
"I am from South Korea. This course was absolutely very good. Dr. Jacob's lecture was so funny and it was like a treasure; invaluable. Dr. Jacob is very strong in physical examination teaching and also in counseling. Other things he was also very good; but I emphasize these 2 things, because these 2 things were very helpful to me."
-Dr. kiyong na
"I am from Iran, and now living in Dubai. I’m a specialist pediatrician. I was looking for an appropriate course in order to be prepared for this exam. I previously had so much stress for this exam; So thank God I found Dr. Jacob and this course.
After 4 days of this very useful course, you'll find everything you'd want to know about the CS exam. I think we covered all subjects and that was great. Practice, practice, practice because this exam is just about practice! By the 4th day of this course, you will know what you need to do at the exam. Without this course you cannot find this out on your own; what the case is really is about, what you should do and what the real stress will feel like. In this course, you will experience the same level of stress that you will find at the real exam.
Dr. Jacob is a gentleman. He will do his best for you. He did the best for me and also for my colleague. I’m so glad, to be here! He supported us and I’m so thankful to him. You’ll get him as well, if you have a chance, and hopefully you can attend this class.
I recommend you that you DO IT! And don’t waste your time on the other courses. Be happy and good luck to everyone!"
-Dr. Raha Khosavi
“I wasn’t very sure whether I needed to get any kind of training for the USMLE Step 2 CS . After all, I was a practicing ophthalmologist in India before I came to the US. After I decided to go in for a training course , I wasn’t sure which one to opt for. I spoke to a couple of Dr Jacob’s old students before I decided to go in for STEP2IT.
I’m glad that I joined the course. It has changed my thought process & my way of looking at this Step. Not only did he grill me on CIS, but he also spent a lot of time on ICE. By the end of the 4 day course, I felt that I was kind of a “changed person “. I feel that his training has definitely helped me. Thank you Dr Jacob for all your help.”
-Dr. Guneet Mann
"I am an IMG and I found it very difficult to prepare for the Step 2 CS exam. I had not been able to find the right course for me until I browsed on a USMLE forum and read positive comments about Dr. Jacob's course. I decided to call them. After Dr. Jacob explained everything to me regarding his course I made the decision to book the course.
It was a great experience. They taught me every detail about the exam that I needed to know. Even though I studied a lot, I had to realize that I did not fully know how to communicate with American patients. Particularly how to perform the physical exam in the American way. You will find everything that you need to know about the exam in Dr. Jacob's course.”
Finally, I must say that they helped me regarding everything during my stay in US and I feel they will be my friends forever."
-Dr. Humberto Colmenarez
"I’m a 4th yr. Caribbean medical student. A lot of people ask why I need to take a prep course. I do consider English to be my 1st language but seeing the downward trend of students not passing the CS made me realize that I don’t want to look past this exam. I want to make sure I get the best preparation for it. I was looking for someone who could give me some guidance and make sure that I’m saying the right things and at the same time just make sure that I have the best real live standardized patient interaction and practice.
Dr. Jacob organized his course to where I feel like I’m going to be very comfortable walking into the exam center all the way up until I go through all 12 patient encounters and even when I walk out of the patient rooms and the exam center. I feel very comfortable about each doorway that I’ll be going up against starting from the greeting, challenging questions, the closure and all the way up to the patient notes. After taking the course I feel fully prepared no matter what I’m going to encounter at each doorway.
Dr. Jacob covers every aspect of medicine. He proposes all kinds of chief complaints so that I’m prepared the day of the exam. The critique and feedback were invaluable. He was able to give me unique feedback, especially how I encounter patients, how I wrote my notes, as well as one on one feedback when it came to the classroom sessions. STEP2IT fulfilled all my expectations and it delivered everything it promised.
The biggest thing that I’m going to be able to take away from Dr. Jacob’s Step 2 CS course was that he gives you this insight into specific body language, as well as your diction when it comes to answering questions, presenting questions, but also giving answers; and even just your closure. Those are things I know for sure that are invaluable tools that I’m going to be using the day of my exam. Any prospective student should just expect great one on one feedback, positive criticism, and improvement starting from day one.
Dr. Jacob is very attentive through all aspects of the stay starting from when you first book the course to when you come into the classroom center and then when you leave each and every day. Starting from day one to day three the difference was night and day for me. I felt like I improved dramatically. If I hadn’t taken the course and gotten the guidance from Dr. Jacob, I would have gone into the exam with a false sense of confidence. At best I would have MAYBE borderline passed. But now after taking the course, I feel like I’m going to pass with confidence. I’m going to walk out with my head held high and feel like I’ve really conquered that exam.
Looking towards my exam date I feel like I’m fully prepared and that I have all the tools that I need from Dr. Jacob to pass this exam. I would definitely recommend any prospective student to consider taking this course, especially for anyone who feels like they don’t feel confident about this exam.
For those who feel they don’t need a prep course, I warned you. I’m going to leave you with this: *****Dr. Jacob isn’t the professor that you deserve, but he’s definitely the one that you need.***** "
-Dr. Jenson Mathew
"STEP2IT is a worthy course to attend. It will shape you for the real exam encounter and correct your little silly mistakes (which we often commit, but are not supposed to in the real exam ;) Both the teachers are almost an approximate simulation for a physician and an SP on a real CS exam... So guys, you can surely go for this course! The plus point is that it's also affordable!! "
-Dr. Lovely Chhabra
"I came to the U.S. very raw, having lots of doubts in my mind and lacking the most important thing. That is confidence. But the coaching by the two marvelous doctors helped me acquire what I was looking for. The most important thing for USMLE Step 2 CS is confidence. Here lies the beauty of this course.
This course not only gives you knowledge, but it selectively polishes your communication skills and makes you more confident. I would recommend this workshop to everyone. Even those who know everything because you will also learn a lot of things, which are beyond CS, and will help make your journey to residency a lot easier.
To both of my teachers: Your team is doing a great job. You help us IMGs to gain more confidence, to adjust our knowledge and skills to the US environment and eventually pass the exam. After your clinical skills course, everything on the real exam was predictable. Time wasn't such a pressure and almost all patient encounters were more easily manageable. Thanks a lot for helping us make the first steps towards getting into the medical field in the U.S."
-Dr. Jagmeet Singh
"I am from South Korea. Through this course, Dr. Jacob will find your weak points and make you a success in the real exam. So please, if you are afraid of the exam, come here and learn from him."
-Dr. Dong Shin
"I had decided to challenge the USMLE and begin my U.S. licensing process. The Step 2 CS turned out to be the last of my priorities. This underestimation took me on a wild encounter with reality: I WAS NOT PREPARED TO TAKE THIS TYPE OF EXAM. There are just a million details and intricacies.
Here are some of the highlights of my experience with Dr. Jacob at STEP2IT: A tailored map to guide me through the Step 2 CS. Personalized attention, constructive criticism, and the freedom to practice as long as your will and/or strength allows you.
These qualities make this course a MUST for an IMG looking forward to challenge this exam. This exam does NOT test your clinical knowledge in any way shape or form. After spending 2 full days with Dr. Jacob I was able to gain confidence and establish a "plan of attack" during each patient encounter. In the end, I CLEARED THE EXAM.
I must also mention Dr. Jacob's wonderful family and for the human component I found. Thank you for your hospitality and many stories of success!"
-Dr. Arturo Suarez
"The way in which they teach; face to face, one on one with great feedback, I can confidently bring empathy and handle all situations. Those are hard situations that we'll usually face in the CS exam. This is completely a different experience as compared to back home. As an IMG this course helps me understand the organization of the cases, patient notes, and interpersonal skills.
I can see a lot of improvement in myself. I feel very confident in myself, so I highly that I recommend the STEP2IT course for everyone."
-Dr. Behzad Elahi
"I am a physician from Turkey and living in Atlanta, GA. I chose to take STEP2IT because I didn't feel that I could work by myself properly and I didn’t think that I’d be able to do it all on my own. I needed help to be able to understand this exam really well and what I need to do. I found this course on the Internet. The website looked very nice. The explanations and price I saw were nice as well. But I wasn’t sure about the quality of the course. I called Dr. Jacob and we had a discussion for about 10 minutes. I was convinced that he would be very helpful to me. It was a very quick decision because I had just 10 days to my exam.
I’ve been a physician for more than 15yrs in Turkey, but to speak in English with patients in an “American style” is so different than the experience in my country. This exam is more about acting like an “American” physician. The art is a bit different here. The patients are different. The way to speak with them is different. The challenges faced here are different.
I had a wonderful 4-day course with Dr. Jacob. He was very friendly, very thorough and very helpful to me. We developed a very good friendship and teacher/student relationship. I am totally changed in 4 days.
So this course gives you the total framework of what to do and what not to do. I feel very ready now because of this course. I highly suggest anyone come to this course. You can do it!"
-Dr. Burak BulaT
"I started off by reading some material, which is out there commercially as you know, and what I noticed is that I got a good amount of information for the ICE component. As for the the CIS component, I wasn't really able to get a good "feel" for it because; you can only get so much from a book. What I now understand is that you need someone experienced to teach you the methods and teach you how Americans "say stuff" which is relevant in CIS.
Now that I've taken the course, I can let you know how I felt about it: All of the things that I wanted to be good at, I now feel that I am. I am better prepared for the CIS especially, but also ICE. I feel much more confident and I feel that I can give the CS exam and be successful. Good luck to all of you, I hope you are successful too. I highly recommend this course to you guys."
-Dr. Ibraheem Naeem
"I think Dr. Jacob's program is very well organized. He is experienced with teaching, and I like his way of teaching as well. He's given me with very nice feedback, which helped me to improve my clinical skills in regards to the physical exam and history taking. He's got really nice mnemonics that gave me the framework of how to remember to ask all those simple questions, which we tend to forget as we rush by.
In 2 days time I feel much improvement from when I started on my first case. And now that I'm about to finish the last scenario, I feel a huge difference and much more confidence. I do encourage other people to come to this course. "
-Dr. Mohammad Jawaid Akbar
"Hello, I’m from Brazil. I just spent the last 3 days from 8 am to 8 pm here. And what I can tell you is that it’s definitely worth it. It has really, really paid off.
When I first walked through that door, I was not very confident. I had a lot of questions; I had an open mind. I really knew that I could improve. But just after 3 days, you can’t imagine how I feel now. I really feel that I can beat the Step 2 CS!
I really feel that the Step 2 CS is a bigger deal for me than the Step 1 or even Step 2CK. I still do have many things to improve, but now I know EXACTLY where I should improve and what should I study.
If you want to learn from Dr. Jacob; he’s a very decent guy, a very nice guy. He’s actually like a friend to me now.
This was totally worth my time and it was worth my money. It was a really, really good investment."
-Dr. Wilson Mesquita
"Dr. Jacob basically tailored the course so that I was able to learn what my weaknesses are and what my strengths are. We were focused on my patient notes, my history taking and even the physical exam. So now I'm able to walk out from this with a comfortable sense of how I want to approach the exam and study."
-Dr. Sagar Mulay
"I’ve come to take Dr. Jacob’s course all the way from the UK. Like everyone else, I wanted to practice, but I didn’t have an SP. I decided to search on the Internet and I came across a different kind of course. It stood out from the other courses because all of the other courses are mostly large classes; you come, you attend and you then you go. But this one was different. It stood out because it offered private tuition. Smaller classes with a maximum of 4 students.
Obviously, I was concerned in the beginning because as a girl, I didn’t want to attend a course alone. But I took my chances and chose STEP2IT. Not only was I happy that Dr. Jacob was the one teaching the course itself, but I also felt safe that I could take the class alone.
If I am going to put my money out there I expect some level of trust. I didn’t know what was out there for me. After taking the risk, I can say that Dr. Jacob really knows his stuff. And after 4 days of intensive coaching, I think I’m ready to get out there, take my exam.
When I arrived, I really didn’t know what I was doing. Like anyone else, I thought that I wouldn’t need coaching. That I could do this myself, and practice over Skype. But I would not have had a real feel for the physical examination.
What I liked about Dr. Jacob’s course was, not only did he fulfill his promises; there were many days where he stayed longer and worked with me for more than 12hrs a day. Which is something I don’t think anyone would just do; for someone else. It was not about money for him. It was about giving the right tailored approach for the exam. That is what got me ready.
I have seen such a great improvement over the last 4 days. I didn’t imagine that it could be done so easily and I’ve come a long way. After coming here I really feel that it was a good choice. I’m ready to take my exam now. So thank you, Dr. Jacob, for preparing me so well. I feel confident now that I can pass."
-Dr. Pritika Singh
"This course is really unique in that it gives you absolutely individual attention. Not only do you go over the format of the exam, you go through rigorous training in patient encounters. Dr. Jacob gives you individual feedback that is completely tailored to your strengths and weaknesses.
Not only do you leave knowing a lot more about your skills in the exam, but your comfort level is great. Because this is a stressful exam, everyone would want to take it only once. So I highly recommend this course. It was very enjoyable and you learn a lot."
-Dr. Robert Gehringer
"I’m a cardiologist from Brazil. I’ve just finished my course here at STEP2IT with Dr. Jacob and I really enjoyed it very much. I came here completely unprepared. But now I really do feel prepared to take the exam.
In my country, we have a group. It’s a group of physicians that are all preparing for the exams. They write their opinions about many courses. I read several, actually many reviews, about STEP2IT and I was very impressed because people really enjoyed it and they all had the same experience. The experience they described is exactly what I’ve had now. What I gathered from those testimonies and what I found here is that you receive very personal guidance. It’s not like a script that is adhered and followed delivering the same course for every person; it's because we are all different, backgrounds are different. So I got something very personalized and that was very helpful to me.
Overall it was a very good experience. It actually exceeded my expectations. I was already expecting it to be good from what I read. And also, about Dr. Jacob; everybody was praising him and saying that he’s a real nice person. Indeed he is. That was a very nice aspect of the course. It was a very pleasant time, it was very time efficient and I feel much more prepared, as I said, so I really think it was worth the time.
Once you get here you’ll probably experience things the same way I did. When you try your first case, then it becomes VERY clear that you are NOT prepared. I was definitely not prepared. The first few cases were disastrous! I realized that I couldn't do it on time. My performance was very poor with a lot of mistakes. Over those days it improved. And now, at the end, I feel that I can handle most cases.
So my final message is this: don’t consider this exam to be the “easy one”. That would be a BIG mistake! You should consider this an important exam and it IS difficult. If you don’t want to risk failing it, you should really prepare for it. Especially for IMGs or people who graduated a long time ago, I really recommend taking this course. The practical aspects you won’t get from a book or practicing with someone that isn't truly an expert. I really recommend STEP2IT. You'll get a lot of attention and in the end, you'll feel prepared; as I do now."
-Dr. Clerio Azevedo
"The course really helped me get a clear picture of what this exam is about. Dr. Jacob gave me very good insight into what we need to emphasize on.
Dr. Jacob is an IMG, as are most of the people taking the CS courses. He actually knows what he is talking about, unlike many people who might want to help you with the best intentions. I'm glad I chose this course."
-Dr. Cristobol Risquez
"We were taught medical school in Portuguese, so this exam is really hard for us because we never used English in school. Dr. Jacob taught us how to do a really, really good closure, and how to interact with patients.
You may think “Oh I already know a lot of things. I’m a good doctor.” This is not enough because this covers only ICE; only the knowledge. For this step, you need good interpersonal skills. This is the best course for this.
When we first started cases, I thought “Oh my God, I can’t do this! This is going to be really hard.” But now I’m feeling really confident. I’ll just smash this step.
When we looked at other courses on the internet, we saw that some classes go from 9 am to 3 in the afternoon. Over here Dr. Jacob picked us up from our hotel every day. Sometimes we stayed here til 10 pm. We could really feel that Dr. Jacob wanted us to improve. He really cared about how we will perform on the real exam. So if you’re in doubt about which course to choose; this is the best one.
Good luck on the USMLE steps. You can do it. You just have to be more confident; and this course is just perfect to do that."
-Dr. Iuri Dutra
"Hi Dr. Jacob, my experience was really very good! I got personalized attention from my teacher and she was very helpful and guided me so well. Now I know how to study and practice. Before the course I was practicing, but I was doing it all wrong. Now I am confident enough."
-Dr. Mina Riz
"I’m an IMG who just finished all the USMLE steps. I’ve received the report of Step 3 two days ago and I passed. So I’m done and I’m so happy about it. The first time I prepared for the Step 2 CS, I did it on my own. Honestly, when I received the report of the test, my confidence was crushed and I didn’t know what to do. It was tough for me. If you know what I’m talking about, then you know that this is REALLY tough. In this 2nd attempt, I went with a course called STEP2IT. It saved me, honestly. It saved me and it gave me all the skills I need to pass.
I emailed Dr. Jacob a couple of times and he was very nice to me. He seemed very serious and explained to me exactly what the course was about. This course may be probably cheaper than the other ones because it’s less known, but in my experience, it worked well. The location is, in my opinion, perfect because it avoids distraction. You just go there and just focus on what you have to do. You’ll be in for a very long day; starting 9 am till sometimes 7 pm every day, (even later that that, I must admit, in my case) for at least 4 days.
The first day was a general introduction regarding the course and the exam. When I got there I was very skeptical because I said “oh I know these things”, but in the long run I think it was the most important day because it tells you exactly what you need to do to pass the exam. And this is something that has to be very clear in your mind. If you know exactly what you have to do, you will pass the exam. If you don’t know what you are doing, you will fail. That’s what happened to me the first time. Then the other 3 days are mostly mock exam, writing patient notes, and about patient/doctor relationships. Case after case after case, and this helps.
At this last exam, what I noticed was my confidence was way better than the first time. I knew what I was doing. I knew that I was doing pretty well. If I was making a mistake, I knew that I was making a mistake. I made very few mistakes apparently because I passed. And I was cool, calm, and everything went really smooth. And this is a great feeling.
I think this is a great course. I would do it 100 times again. But thank God I finished with my USMLE steps so I don’t have to! I would totally recommend taking the STEP2IT course. Dr. Jacob is a great teacher. It’s tailored towards you because there is up to 1:4 teacher/student relationship. It gives you the confidence. By the end of the course, you’ll know, more or less, whether you’ll be able to pass or not. You’ll be ready to do any kind of case you come across.
Feel free to contact me in case you need any additional references. Thank you everybody, good luck."
-Dr. Francisco Alessandrino
"I would recommend STEP2IT for all IMGs who are taking on the challenge of the Step 2 CS. Dr. Jacob is concise, logical and goal-oriented towards the exam. The course is economical. So try it for yourself and you will see the difference!"
-Dr. Ashish Nehru
"I'm a medical student at St. George’s University. Of all the courses I compared, they all had a lot of students and not so much hands on; not so much personal interaction.
I spoke with Dr. Jacob personally and he explained to me how he planned to handle this course. I'll be honest with you; on the first day I got here, he picked us up from the train station. And from that day, till this fourth day, he took care of all our needs over here. Our only concern, he told us, was to just give all our concentration to learning. And he really helped us out!
I was so apprehended about doing physical exams and taking history. After working 2 days, he kept on drilling and made us do all the physical exams. On the fourth day we did a mock exam and I’ll tell you: I see a BIG difference in myself! Also in my classmate, he has also improved. We both actually gained a lot from this 4 day course.With all the experience I've gained here, I’m now going to study. I feel like I have a very good chance of passing this exam.
So I’d like to say that you should consider this course. It’s really a good course. Dr. Jacob is really good with all the aspects of this exam and he will really teach you good. So please consider this course, don’t waste your money anywhere else."
-Dr. Reza Shahriar
"I took STEP2IT to help me prepare for the USMLE Step 2 CS. I feel that it helped me to get organized and get prepared for the exam. They don't teach you how to prepare for this type of exam in medical school.
Dr. Jacob's system organizes your thoughts and helps you complete the physical exam in an efficient manner. Whether your weakness is ICE or CIS, this course gets you to really understand it and correct it. I highly recommend this course to any American medical school student or IMG grad."
-Dr. Frank Rough
"I’m from Brazil and I’d like to tell you a bit about my experience with the STEP2IT course. A friend of from Brazil and I were initially scheduled to take a different prep course in early October 2016. Due to Hurricane Mathew, we had a major change of plans, so we were not able to take that course. We asked a couple of our friends for recommendations. 3 good friends of mine, that had already taken the Step 2 CS, advised us to take STEP2IT with Dr. Jacob because they really enjoyed it.
I gave Dr. Jacob a call and he was able to squeeze the two of us into his class schedule. Within 3 days we were there taking the course. We really appreciate the effort he took to accommodate us in his schedule with such short notice.
2-3 weeks before the course we were using the textbooks, and practicing with study partners so by the time we got to the course we were pretty much at the same level.
What I like most about the course is that Dr. Jacob was able to give us “one-on-one” attention and point out our individual difficulties. He would watch me, and then watch my friend perform, during an encounter. He would tell us; “Your low points are these. And your strong points are these. So this is what you need to work on.” He would record us on our encounters so that we could see for ourselves what he was trying to show us. It was really an interesting experience. By the end of the day, we were tired of course, but we could tell that we were learning so much.
On the second day we came to the realization that if we had not taken the course, we would not have been able to pass the exam. There are so many details, for an IMG, that just don’t come naturally.
Also, Dr. Jacob is a lot of fun. He would take us to some interesting places to have lunch; that was a memorable time. Regarding the class hours, he would stay with us until about 8 pm, sometimes even more. It all depended on our performance during the day. The hours are flexible and we were able to extend them. There were a few instances that we would say, “Dr. Jacob, we would like to practice a bit more on this topic if it’s OK.” He would stay with us hours later so that we could finish. On our last day, we actually left at around 10 pm, but it was totally worth it. I think this was the factor that made me feel really comfortable about taking the test.
By the time I left, I wouldn’t say that I was 100% confident that I would pass, but it felt more like 85% confidence. I followed up the next few days by reading through my notes, which I made during the STEP2IT course. I also practiced via Skype with my boyfriend and also with another friend in Brazil.
The exam turned out not as horrible as I had expected. The cases were a lot less complex than the ones that Dr. Jacob had us practice. What he tries to do is prepare you for the “Great War”. In the real exam, there are “small battles” that you have to get through. So I left the exam center feeling that I did my job and that I could pass.
I just got my report this morning. Fortunately, it was a HIGH pass!
Dr. Jacob’s STEP2IT course is definitely a great option for you. I guarantee that you won’t feel disappointed at the end. There is no other option out there, that I’m aware of, that offers this level of “one-on-one” attention and addresses the specifics for each individual. So this is the factor that provides the greatest differential in what this course can offer you. I’ve also recommended this course to a couple other friends of mine. They took it last weekend and really loved it as well.
So I wish you all good luck. I hope you enjoy the course as much as I did."
-Dr. Camila Temple
"I really wanted a place where the teacher would have more time for me because I've realized that the exam is not just about reading all the material; it requires a lot of practice. It's not just about doing a lot of cases; it's all about the quality of the cases. I went online and I checked all the programs. I decided STEP2IT was the best for me.
Right from the first day I was really impressed with how the course was handled. I had all the time and attention I needed. From 10 am in the morning till 8 or 9 pm in the evening; 4 days. I don't know where else I could have gotten a better deal! I think in total we were able to practice 18 cases. And on the final day of training, I had a mock exam of 6 cases at a stretch.
Dr. Jacob was really nice, he was really helpful and was very friendly. I was amazed when I saw him. I didn't realize that he had that kind of personality. I've now gotten everything I ever wanted, I'm really grateful to have been in the program."
-Dr. Adeyinka Adejumo
"I have 10yrs of experience in radiology and I’m from Turkey. As an IMG and having some language issues, in English, I felt I needed to take a course. We shouldn’t take this exam lightly. We shouldn’t underestimate it.
Honestly I didn’t expect this course to be above my expectations. I think it’s very unique. Like a ”boutique style” course. I think with the quality of the course, and the opportunity of one-on-one training, you'll be surprised.
This is located north of NYC. But it's actually cheaper than others and very convenient. This location offers you safe, clean and affordable hotels. The area is very nice. At the end of 4 days I felt very happy. I don’t think I could find a better course than this.
Organization of the course was excellent. They covered each part; CIS, ICE and Patient Notes. The selection of the cases was very comprehensive.
Most of other courses contain maybe 10, 15 or 20 students. And they are mostly lecture based. So when you come to the course you already know most of the stuff from the books. So lecture based courses may not help you that much. We need more one-on-one feedback.
I saw that Dr. Jacob has a big ambition in teaching. He loves this job. That impressed me actually, he knows how to teach. He is like your friend. So you don’t hesitate to ask anything, he is very close to you.
I practiced with Americans in my country, but they don’t know how to correct you. They can’t catch your weaknesses. They say “you’re OK, you’re good”. But if you were performing the same case in front of Dr. Jacob, he actually takes a video. When you watch it together he’s telling you that you have maybe 30 mistakes in an encounter. So I decided that I shouldn’t waste time practicing the cases with those who are not aware about the exam.
I strongly recommend this course to any physician who is not comfortable with the exam requirements. I have been working on preparing for this exam for the last 6 months and I haven’t felt as confident before. Now I’m clear with the exam. I know what my weaknesses are now. This is the first time I’ve felt comfortable with the rules and requirements of the exam. Good luck to everybody.
-Dr. Turan Ilica
"I’m a 4th-year medical student from AUA (American University of Antigua). I loved this Step 2 CS course and I think this is one of the best courses you could ever take. I needed a course that would give me personalized feedback and help me work on my weaknesses. If I were to work with any of my friends, who are students; they’d probably be making the same mistakes as me. In that way, we wouldn’t know what our weaknesses are or how to fix them. So I thought this personalized Step 2 CS course by Dr. Jacob would be the best option for me
Dr. Jacob let me do a few cases and then we reviewed them. He showed me my flaws and the areas I made mistakes. He helped me fix them on my next try. You won’t be able to get this advantage from any other Step 2 CS preparatory course.
I think this course taught me a lot of ways that I can improve my interpersonal skills; ways in which I can communicate better with my patients. If I had taken a different course, I don’t think I would have gotten this.
I hope to build on the skills I learned here and do well on my Step 2 CS exam. Good luck to everybody."
-Dr. Sateesh Ravi
"We are Brazilian brothers tackling the USMLE Step 2 CS. Before this course, we thought that we could pass. Now I know that we would have relied on luck. And now I also know that we will rely on our skills. This course is important because it really prepares you.
You have to choose a course that’s right for you. Many different people have different sets of skills in terms of speaking and knowledge. Being in a class of 10-15 people just won’t cut it. You need to be in a class small enough so that it'll feel tailored for you. And that’s what happens here.
Dr. Jacob was awesome. He identified each and every flaw that we had, and he corrected it. In this test details really matter; and here you’re polished by each and every detail.
We are doctors with experience, but this step is not really about your real clinical experience or how you treat your patients in real life. It’s more about what a perfect doctor needs to do. What a perfect doctor need to be within 15 minutes. So each and every detail matters and you have to be efficient.
We can say for sure that we would recommend this course to everyone."
