2006 average anesthesiology board score

[kbommar]

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any ideas on what the new avg board score is for anesthesiology? the FAQ from back in 2003 has the following info:

<200 -- community and low-mid tier academic programs
200-215 -- mid-high tier academic programs
215-230 -- top academic programs
230+ -- will get interviews at almost every top program applied to

 

[lvspro]

any ideas on what the new avg board score is for anesthesiology? the FAQ from back in 2003 has the following info:

<200 -- community and low-mid tier academic programs
200-215 -- mid-high tier academic programs
215-230 -- top academic programs
230+ -- will get interviews at almost every top program applied to

Add 10 to 15 to each one


I Forgot to add this disclaimer (I'm an IMG, so they expect higher scores out of me to compete w/a US MD)

 

[patau13]

I think the numbers are still the same. Don't believe the hype about anesthesia being more competitive. From what my friends said about this year's application process the list you gave is still reasonably accurate.

 

[Idiopathic]

I think the numbers are still the same. Don't believe the hype about anesthesia being more competitive. From what my friends said about this year's application process the list you gave is still reasonably accurate.

I would agree somewhat. I also think there were many more people in those groups (i.e. the 230+ group) and those interviews became harder to come by, I think.

 

[kbommar]

which category do you think the following places would fall into:
george washington
georgetown
ohio state
UIC
u chicago

 

[jennyboo]

I found that the numbers in the FAQ were pretty accurate for my case in 2006 (as a US allopathic applicant).

The numbers may, however, be different if you are an international or foreign medical school applicant or if you are an osteopathic applicant (those here who applied with those specific situations can say more about it than me).

george washington
georgetown
ohio state
UIC
u chicago

You definitely shouldn't need 230+ to be offered interviews at these programs if you are an allo grad with average or better grades. Beyond that, I don't know from personal experience -- am guessing that anything above 200 should give you a good chance if all else is average or better in your application. Below is anyone's guess.

 

[Carm]

In by experience, 220 pretty much cleared the Step I hurdle. What I mean is, if an applicant had +220 then he/she is pretty much in the same boat.

Dude with 223 definitely has the mind to pass boards in four years so he is essentially on the same footing as Mr. 252 after the first round of screening.

Screening being, does the applicant have the test taking skills to pass boards someday. My program has a tremendous record of board passing. We are confident that we can train a person to be a good anesthesiologist and to easily pass the boards. However, starting with an aptitude to pass standardized tests definitely helps.

I am just throwing 220 out there as the arbitrary number that shows 'no difficulty with standardized tests'. Are you out of the running with less than that? Absolutely not, you just better show other skills and a work ethic to prove that you can put in the work to learn what you need.

We look for people who are good people, hard workers, fit in well, team players. In my opinion, it is ridiculous to base applicants purely on board scores. It is definitely a factor, and let's be honest, a pretty big factor. But it should only be one tool in the screening process.

You can definitely get in with scores much lower than that, but that is pretty much the 'get your foot in the door and knock their socks off at the interview' number.

Don't be discourages with scores much lower, just get busy and make the rest of your app outstanding.

 

[Trisomy13]

honestly, scores are not the only factor.

i had a 203 on step 1, and still had interviews at MGH, Yale, Cornell, UAB, UF, etc.

i did go up 20+ pts on step 2, but again, scores are not all that matters. if you're step 1 is mediocre like mine was, emphasize the rest of your application.


take home message = apply in a wide distribution and don't skip a progam because you think "they'll never look at me with this score". you'd be surprised at the apparent randomness.

 

[chicamedica]

Just to demonstrate that numbers are not everything, and that the process can seem random at times. . .even though Trisomy got those awesome interviews with a step 1 of 203 (and being a DO!), I did not get interviews at MGH or Cornell with a 220+ step 1. My step 2 was about the same, but the score didn't come out until after I had most of my interviews. I still got interviews from programs of equal caliber, but you up and coming applicants should realize that sometimes things can be random and depend on other things in your portfolio, as well as on what the individual program is looking for (i.e. what their overall training philosophy is). . .each program has a slightly different nuance in this respect. This example should also go to show that DOs should not get discouraged about their competitiveness in the anesthesiology application process. . .you guys do hold your own competing among MD candidates.

 

[leopold stotch]

any ideas on what the new avg board score is for anesthesiology? the FAQ from back in 2003 has the following info:

<200 -- community and low-mid tier academic programs
200-215 -- mid-high tier academic programs
215-230 -- top academic programs
230+ -- will get interviews at almost every top program applied to

i know my residency director was mostly into two things, cause he told me:
1. how hard working does this applicant appear
2. will i be able to stand working with this kid every day for 3 years

point being, sometimes showing interest in a program, like doing an away rotation there and working hard there, or just having a easy going personality is worth more than numbers.

judging by my board scores and where i matched, doesn't look like its changed much from 2003 to 2005. this year may have been significantly different, however.

 

[Trisomy13]

. . .even though Trisomy got those awesome interviews with a step 1 of 203 (and being a DO!)...

for the official record keepers out there, i'm MD not DO 😉 i can't really comment on additional hurdles faced by DO's, if there are any, other than to say some of my best teachers in the OR have been DO (as well as MD, CRNA (gasp), and even the occasional veteran scrub nurse with a pearl of wisdom for my green behind).

 

[GuP]

what additional hurdles do carib grads face going into anesthesia?

 

[iron]

I'd add a few points on to the scale in the first post.

Get your application in early, as in way before Dean's Letters are out. Most programs begin scheduling and even interviewing before November. If you wait to apply, there may not be any openings by the time your application is complete (less Dean's Letter).

As for carib grads, I had several US IMGs tell me last year they were desperate for even a single interview. Of these students, some were solid candidates and few were less solid. It's definitely tougher to be an IMG and get an interview. IMGs should plan on applying to more programs than their US counterparts.

 

[chicamedica]

for the official record keepers out there, i'm MD not DO 😉 i can't really comment on additional hurdles faced by DO's, if there are any, other than to say some of my best teachers in the OR have been DO (as well as MD, CRNA (gasp), and even the occasional veteran scrub nurse with a pearl of wisdom for my green behind).

OOPS, sorry!! hmm, all this time i thought you were DO. . . But i agree i too have had some great teachers who have been DOs, both residents and attendings, and I feel DO applicants should be on an even playing field as MD applicants bearing the same credentials. And yes, I too have learned a thing or 2 from scrub nurses, floor nurses, and CRNAs. 👍

 

[lvspro]

what additional hurdles do carib grads face going into anesthesia?

Yourself.
The only "objective" measure of how competetive IMG's are is their board scores. Nail Step 1, get good recs, do well on your surg/IM rotations, and do a rotation in anesthesia for some experience and to learn what the job entails (a good LOR may go a long way here!).

Unless you have a documented disability, or problem with standardized exams, then the only hurdle you face is motivating yourself to study when your friends are out drinking.

G/L.

 

[bulletproof]

Yourself.
The only "subjective" measure of how competetive IMG's are is their board scores. Nail Step 1, get good recs, do well on your surg/IM rotations, and do a rotation in anesthesia for some experience and to learn what the job entails (a good LOR may go a long way here!).

Unless you have a documented disability, or problem with standardized exams, then the only hurdle you face is motivating yourself to study when your friends are out drinking.

G/L.

I think you meant "objective".

 

[lvspro]

I think you meant "objective".

Yup. Correction made.

 

[cubs3canes]

I would say that community programs should not be placed in that lower category. Community programs are becoming more competitive because of the fact that they have easier work schedules and tend to have more CRNAs.
I did match at a community program and everyone that matched there with me got at least a 215. I am not saying that all community programs are the same, but they are still competitive. They are not outside the tier system. Just rank them where they are.

If community programs are so bad than why would the president of the ASA be from a Community Based program, i.e. Orin Guidry.

new list <200, better have other good factors (i.e. great recs from good people, good research, worked your but off at an away rotation, top medical school) to get low and mid tier interviews
200-215 mid-tier programs interviews
215-230 good chance at some upper tier and most mid-tier interviews
>230 most programs

 

[burntcrispy]

Definately get your application in as early as possible. I put my application in the first day and had interviews at some top programs 2 weeks later. Programs with alot of applicants tend to fill their interveiw spots early so don't delay.

I would start working on personal statement and LOR now. Other than those 2 parts of the application, the rest is pretty much fill in the blanks from what I remember.

Also, you may want to talk to some 4th yrs at your school who matched into anes to find out which programs they liked/disliked and why. I did this last year and found it to be a great source of info.

Good luck.

 

[roctown]

I had a 208 on step I (I was AOA w/ a well rounded application) and I got every interview in Boston, New York and Philly: MGH, BW, Cornell, Columbia, Penn, NYU, Mount Sinai. BID is the only program that turned me down.

Definately make sure you get your applications in really early, thats a huge help as most all of programs listed above started inviting people in late September and early October, and as their spots filled up I'm sure their number requirements did as well.

 

[Arch Guillotti]

I got a 200 on Step I and got interviews at JHU, Penn and UTSW amongst others. I did manage to step it up to a 241 on Step II, though.

 

[GuP]

well im from Ross U. (FMG) and i recently got my step 1 - its a 92...its not the greatest but it is what it is....what r my chances given that I bust my arse in every single rotation? im in nj/ny area and was wondering which hospitals are notorious for giving interviews to rotators. also, which programs am i competitive for in the area?

 

[cutdacheese]

So i couldnt help but comment after reading places some people got interviews with their board scores... i mean dont get me wrong, i am not hating on anyone and i am happy for all of you guys. I had step I 236 and step II 247 and got pretty much all the ny and boston schools as well as yale and upenn (didnt apply anywhere else), but i didnt get cornell or st. vincent's (of all places) and MGH waitlisted me. Mind you some of my good friends got these interviews with an identical cv as me (same research, same letters, same everything) except board scores 10-15 points less. Very random if you ask me. I am just glad that these were not places i was considering going and that i did end up at my #1 program.
And the funny thing is just because one is an ace on his boards (230+) does not mean that they are gunning for the big name academic places. I think more and more applicants this yr chose to rank residencies higher that were places with great working environments, resident friendly depts, good working hours, great locations, etc... So to group 230+ for example into top notch academic slots does not always hold true. I know for a fact that where i matched (awesome program in nyc that is neither an ivy league or well know outside the northeast) there were a good number of my fellow residents-to-be with surprisingly high (250+, 260+) board scores. So just watch out for those popular under the radar programs when you are considering what scores you need to land an interview. But all in all my experience was that it is very random.

 

[Pooh & Annie]

In the end all your going to do is what everyone else did: do the best you freakin' can and put in applications to all the places you want to go, and throw in a couple other "lesser" programs that you wouldn't mind going to as back-ups. Just make sure you could deal with going to every place you rank.