Quote:
Originally Posted by medicine0509
I'd like to start a more recent post for this question....
What's the consensus on needing or not needing a Step 2 score to match in Ortho specifically? Anyone with first-hand or second-hand experience on this?
I did really well on Step 1 and there's a good chance my Step 2 score would only bring me down..
Thanks guys
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I doubt you'll every get a solid consensus on this. It's as variable as the programs you apply to. I'm sure you can weigh out the pros and cons: if you did really well on Step 1 all you really need to do is pass Step 2 so why risk taking it early and doing poorly? On the other hand, if you didn't do so hot on Step 1, you really HAVE to take it early to prove you had a bad test day on Step 1.
With that said, from my 12 interviews last year I did get the sense that already having my score (I took it in early August of my 4th year) really helped me. I did well on Step 1 also but I wanted to show I had nothing to hide and my interviewers seemed to like the confidence.
I do think there is a trend among programs to want as much info as possible on applicants - it only makes sense considering how many highly qualified applications they receive. This is especially true of highly competitive fields like ortho.
My personal advice is to put 2-3 hard weeks of studying in, take it early, and go into your interviews confident that you've proven twice what you're made of.