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[step2issue]

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[Neopolymath]

Not taking step 2 is worse...

 

[JimBone905]

How r they gonna score less than a 230 if step1 was 240 that would be abnormal

 

[hallowmann]

Yes, I know it is abnormal. I don't know if it will be received more poorly than not taking the exam altogether though.

The answer to "how" is burnout. I haven't studied as much.

Step 2 is easier than Step 1, but if you can't get yourself to study, I would strongly consider taking it later so scores come out after applications are released. If you do well (the same or better) great, and you re-release, but is you do worse, just don't. You need to at least get as good of a score on Step 2 as you did on Step 1.

I know a lot has changed in the 5 years since I applied, but it used to be very common for people with high Step 1s to postpone Step 2 until mid- interview season.

 

[calivianya]

Step 2 is easier than Step 1, but if you can't get yourself to study, I would strongly consider taking it later so scores come out after applications are released. If you do well (the same or better) great, and you re-release, but is you do worse, just don't. You need to at least get as good of a score on Step 2 as you did on Step 1.

I know a lot has changed in the 5 years since I applied, but it used to be very common for people with high Step 1s to postpone Step 2 until mid- interview season.

I think the step 2 being easier than step 1 is something that’s changed. N=1, but I felt like step 2 was much harder - especially since such a large chunk of it is vague ethics and legal questions now, and the metric ton of risk factor questions had no obvious distractors - all the answer options were strongly-associated risk factors, and a lot of the time, the #1 was missing so you had to pick the strongest association out of whatever second/third line answers were left over. Same with treatments - most of the time, the #1 treatment was gone, contraindicated, or something the patient was allergic to. I feel like I 50/50ed half the test.

OP, I can’t tell you for psych, but I chose not to postpone my step 2 and level 2 because I want to focus on shining during my rotations to get great letters. If you are planning on getting letters from your first few rotations of fourth year, IMO this is something to think about. The burnout was real for me, too, and I wasn’t a very positive person while I was studying for step 2. Don’t think it would have mixed well with trying to be “on” all the time.

 

[DameJulie]

metric ton of risk factor questions had no obvious distractors - all the answer options were strongly-associated risk factors

oh no... thought those risk factor questions are gone after Step 1...

 

[Neopolymath]

oh no... thought those risk factor questions are gone after Step 1...

It only gets more important and tricky.