Neurosurgery Step 1 average going up - realistic option?

[CyberMaxx]

I just finished up my M2 year (currently taking a year off for research) and am considering neurosurgery and vascular surgery (if I did neuro I think I would want to do neurovascualar). Based on the 2014 Charting of the Match I was competitive for both but after the most recent report came out yesterday it seems that both have jumped in competitiveness. The average Step 1 score for neurosurgery went from a 244 to a 249, and the percent matched in vascular went from 89 to 73%. Based on this changing landscape, what do you guys think my chances are for neurosurgery and do you think I need to decide now between neuro and vascular and put all of my eggs in one basket?

For context:
class rank: top 1/3-1/4 (state school)
step 1: 244
research:
a. currently taking a year off between M2 and M3 to get a M.S. in Bioengineering, working on research modeling vasculature
b. several years of basic science cardiac research
publications:
a. 2 basic science publications in cardiac research (1 first author)
b. 1 publication on healthcare history (still indexed in pubmed)

Thanks so much for your help!

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[CyberMaxx]

Gonna bump this once just in case. Any advice on whether I would be competitive or not?

 

[mmmcdowe]

if your masters can be tilted towards beurovascular applications you woulf be competitive. you need to bulk up your beurosurgery specific research