Importance of USMLE scores

[blaise77]

Im a third year hoping to go into Neurology...Ive seen that the average USMLE step 1 scores are not ultracompetitive to go into the field but I was wondering what are the scores of people that apply to the top programs...UCLA, MassGen, Columbia, Penn, UCSF, Johns....do people think 255 is a good enough score to get interviews at the top programs.
-Thanks

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[Decepticon]

Hey, congrats on your 255 score. You must be pretty good. Perhaps someday I will sit in a conference and listen to you lecturing. I can't really tell if a top score is enough to be guaranteed an interview at the most prestigious places, but hopefully, someone else here can.

 

[buckley]

I don't think it's about the scores, but 255 is preeeettty good! go and apply to wherever you want. You'd regret if you didn't anyway...good luck

 

[Sir Elroy]

High scores will get you interviews at most places, including the top. A score of 255 should be high enough to do that, I think. That said, there are some places that don't invite top scoring applicants (250s, 260s, whatever) who have no research or are otherwise not what they are looking for. Mass General, Hopkins, and University of Washington come to mind, for instance.

Of course, that should makes sense. One would think that in the more research-heavy institutions, the applicants that fit best are the ones that have done research. It wouldn't be as good for the programs (or the applicants, for that matter) if they matched only non-researchy smart people.

(Or perhaps the folks actually at those institutions would disagree with that assessment?)

 

[BrainBuff]

I disagree. Unless you fail, those scores are pretty much meaningless. Residency programs look at the overall performance in med school, research and Dean's letters of recommendation ( plus the usual connections..) The USMLE Step 1 score does not matter much at that level...

 

[Woatalk]

Some programs, particularly the Top programs have cut-offs for scores (cut-off varies by institution); however, I know of some people who have been invited for interviews or ranked highly based on connections/strong research and so forth.

Like the previous posted stated, most selective programs are looking for certain kinds of people. So even a 280 usmle score does not guarantee that you would be as highly sought after as someone with, lets say a 220, MD/PhD with numerous first author publications, outstanding clinical grades, and excellent LOR... and/or just a great story of why one would like to be a neurologist.

However, just because one might not have all the above stats/sitiuations does not mean you shouldn't try.

 

[blaise77]

It makes sense that programs definitely look at the whole picture...research, LOR, grades...some fields might put stronger emphasis on research, like Neuro, while Derm and Plastics have cutoff step 1 scores in order to be considered. I just wasnt sure if the Top neuro programs, since Im sure they have lots of applicants, that they also use a Step 1 cutoff since its the only objective way to compare all the applicants.

 

[dave2626]

The programs I interviewed at got on average 400 applications for 40 interview slots. One program director discussed how he rejected several applicants with >260's on step 1 but they interviewed me with my 220. Soooo yeah, neuro totally needs an applicant who has more than just good step 1 scores.

He felt the #1 quality in an applicant was the ability to communicate effectively.

 

[RugbyJC]

Im a third year hoping to go into Neurology...Ive seen that the average USMLE step 1 scores are not ultracompetitive to go into the field but I was wondering what are the scores of people that apply to the top programs...UCLA, MassGen, Columbia, Penn, UCSF, Johns....do people think 255 is a good enough score to get interviews at the top programs.
-Thanks

Tattooing it to your forehead so everyone can see will probably also help your case. Sometimes a little modesty can go a long way.

 

[manning18]

I second the previous post. If you're smart enough to score a 255, you're also smart enough to know that scores at that level and higher are very rare (probably in the upper 2-5% range). Do you really need an ego boost that bad?
These people should be congratulated for their high scores and I admire that they are able to score in that range. That said, they should realize that some of us (while not necessarily dumb) have difficulty with these tests. It's frustrating for us when people with USMLE score of 250+ fake modesty and ask if their score is competitive. It's like walking in with a 38 MCAT and asking if that's good enough to pass an initial screening. Give me a break; you know it's good enough!
There are very few (if any) programs in any field where 255 does not meet the minimum Step 1 cutoff. That doesn't mean everyone with 255+ will get an interview everywhere (since programs might look for other factors), but certainly people with 255+ won't be rejected b/c the USMLE scores are 'too low.' If your program's cut-off is above 255, your applicant pool is so small you're shooting yourself in the foot and overlooking so many good candidates. Programs aren't that dumb.

 

[BrainBuff]

very nicely put manning..

 

[Woatalk]

This info is from the last match:

http://www.nrmp.org/data/chartingoutcomes2007.pdf