hey ! I took my step 3 again. Few months ago (3/30/2012)I got 187/73- fail.
This time the MCQs were shorter and easier I thought.
There were about 12 CCS cases and out of that I messed up on 4. The STEMI case was reached uptill EKG and then I got a angio but no Cardiac enzymes etc. The rest of the cases did go well and were mostly from UW.
How many CCS cases need to be OK to pass. Does any one know. Please reply

If your MCQ part was weak and your CCS was not 100%, you will not pass.
If your MCQ part was strong and your CCS was weak, less than 9 cases well, you don't pass. You need a very strong CCS to pass today, almost 10 cases of 12.Besides, if your management was very poor in some cases it will be difficult to pass. In fact, the USMLE today is putting a lot more emphasis in CCS than before, for certain they increased the numbers from 9 to 12 which is a strong indication of what they want from you.
Anyway, continue studying, wait for the results, continue practicing CCS, including the cases you had and good luck in the results.

Hey, I wanted to know how the exam went for you. Hope it went well!

I am writing regarding the question about the impact of CCS cases, because I feel there is misinformation out there. According to the USMLE's official website, "The proportional contribution of the score on the case simulations is no greater than the amount of time you are allowed for the case simulations." Thus, the cases should not account for more than 25% of your score (as of mid-2014). Although I cannot speak for USMLE, I imagine that, if they truly felt that you needed to pass both components to pass the exam, they would have indicated it in their bulletin. For instance, they indicated in the bulletin for Step 2 CS that all three components (ICE, communication, and SEP) must be separately passed.

I wanted to add that the only people I notice who are talking about the extreme importance of CCS (at the expense of MCQ) are fellow test-takers and people trying to sell CCS tutoring services. I am not accusing anyone on this forum here of any kind of malicious behavior. However, I would like to caution anyone here not to get psyched out, especially when information is available from the horse's mouth.