200 is the magic Step I score for Medicine

[Pilot Doc]

From the latest NRMP report, the data below are UNmatch rates for US seniors by Step I score.

Score / % UNmatched / # matched / # unmatched

0-190 10% 176 19
191-200 5.9% 333 21
201-210 1.8% 449 8
211-220 1.1% 436 5
221+ 0.4% 1347 6

Length of rank list was a major impact as well. The roughly 11% (359/3300) applicants who ranked 3 or fewer programs represented 2/3 of those unmatched.

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[GuP]

Might be but you aint getting into MGH with a 200...

 

[Llenroc]

That thing also claims the average USMLE score in Internal Medicine is 220 for U.S. residents who matched. How legitimate is that? That's above average, and I thought most folks who went into Internal Medicine had roughly average or perhaps below average scores (and I say that as someone likely going into the field with a slightly above average score).

 

[Adcadet]

Your title and claim is totally unsupported although the point that a higher Step 1 score helps in matching is pretty well supported (and commonly believed). As you point out, the number of programs seems important beyond Step 1 score. Furthermore, of the 59 who didn't match, about 1/3 scored >200 (19/59). Of the 2251 students who scored >200, only 19 did not match. The odds of not matching are about 4.4 times greater for those who score <200 vs. those who score >200. Yeah, scoring >200 is great, but for those unlucky 19, a score >200 was hardly magical.

 

[Renovar]

That thing also claims the average USMLE score in Internal Medicine is 220 for U.S. residents who matched. How legitimate is that? That's above average, and I thought most folks who went into Internal Medicine had roughly average or perhaps below average scores (and I say that as someone likely going into the field with a slightly above average score).

220 is probably what I would have guessed too. Given the USMLE grade inflation, the mean is somewhere like 216 or 217 rather than 210 like it's meant to be. 220 is smack in the average maybe just a hair above. I think medicine is such a large field that you will find brilliant people who are top of their class on the one end, and people who barely scraping by med school on the other, and that the quality of residents vary tremendously from the very best institutions to community programs. Certainly with a below average score you are much more in luck with medicine compared to say a surgical subspecialty like neurosurg where you practically have no chance. Just because dumb (relatively) people can get into a medicine residency doesn't preclude many smart people from pursuing it.

 

[carrigallen]

Furthermore, of the 59 who didn't match, about 1/3 scored >200 (19/59). Of the 2251 students who scored >200, only 19 did not match. The odds of not matching are about 4.4 times greater for those who score <200 vs. those who score >200. Yeah, scoring >200 is great, but for those unlucky 19, a score >200 was hardly magical.

Let me guess - Mph in epidemiology?

I wonder if the Internal Medicine-specific data may be skewed by people who listed one or two IM programs as a 2nd choice specialty at the end of a derm or radonc rank list. That may partially explain the 4-5 who STILL didn't match with a USMLE of 240+.
It's interesting that NRMP didn't bother to include an analysis of Step 2 data, but I imagine the results were more heterogenous.

 

[Adcadet]

Let me guess - Mph in epidemiology?

I wonder if the Internal Medicine-specific data may be skewed by people who listed one or two IM programs as a 2nd choice specialty at the end of a derm or radonc rank list. That may partially explain the 4-5 who STILL didn't match with a USMLE of 240+.
It's interesting that NRMP didn't bother to include an analysis of Step 2 data, but I imagine the results were more heterogenous.

Yup, epi.

I also wonder if that 220 average is a bit skewed because it doesn't reflect the non-US grads in IM programs. And what percent of IM slots now go to IMGs? And I'm guessing IMGs do worse on the USMLE Step 1.