220 is the magic Step 1 score for anesthesia

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Pilot Doc

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Per the latest data from the NRMP.

The data below is for US senior anesthesia applicants in 2005. Columns are
Score / # matched / # unmatched / % unmatched

0-190 50 22 31%
191-200 113 21 16%
201-210 156 11 7%
211-220 177 7 4%
221+ 402 3 1%

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oh man i should have totally matched i just applied too late...dang it this really pisses me off :mad: oh well
 
medstudent99 said:
oh man i should have totally matched i just applied too late...dang it this really pisses me off :mad: oh well


when did you apply?
 
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This is good news from the "real world" for those of us who inhabit the sheltered world of SDN, where applicants with 240+ scores are afraid they won't get into anesthesiology residency!
 
fakin' the funk said:
This is good news from the "real world" for those of us who inhabit the sheltered world of SDN, where applicants with 240+ scores are afraid they won't get into anesthesiology residency!



AMEN
 
Pilot Doc said:
220 is the magic Step 1 score for anesthesia

wait a minute...

only 7 unmatched (with 177 accepted) with 211+, and a 4% unmatch rate? and 156 match with 201+ with only a 7% unmatch rate?

so, let's just combine everyone with 201+...

735 matched
21 unmatched
3% unmatch rate

looking at it that way, you could also (falsely) conclude that 201 is the magic number, right (especially if you compare it just to everyone who got below a 200)?

or, better yet, let's just combine everyone between 190 to 220...

446 matched
39 unmatched
8.7% unmatched rate

not so bad if you score above a 190, right? looking at it that way, you've got a better than 9 out of 10 chance of getting a spot if you score between 190 and 220... supposedly.

it's just where they draw the line. you also then need to ask why they didn't stratify the groups above 221. what if all the candidates between 221 and 230 matched (i.e., 0 unmatch rate), but someone between 231 and 240 went unmatched? isn't it possible that could've happened? what conclusions would you have drawn from that?

the step score is NOT all that important in the grand scheme of things. it can get you in the door, but it won't get you your spot. it is a rule out, not a rule in. maybe the only thing you can softly conclude is that the person who scores higher than 220 is probably more likely to be a better overall candidate. otherwise, you should really just look at that list and realize that plenty of people got spots with step scores below 220, and not figure that you've found some "magic number" (that everyone applying so desperately seems to want to know). the step was never intended to be a gauge of how good of a doctor you will become, and most PD's know this.

so, good luck to all of you guys who are applying, and don't not "go for it" if you scored below a 221. once you get your spot, this will all become completely unimportant stuff. i know that there's a lot of stress until that point, though, just try not to overinterpret things and make that stress worse.
 
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So ..... are you saying I can get in with a 239?














Just joking - I have always felt like some on these boards (from the pre-clinical all the way to residency) are way too obsessed with a score and want everyone to predict a huge decision (such as getting a residency) based on just that number.
 
loveumms said:
So ..... are you saying I can get in with a 239?

well, i know you had at least a 38+ on the mcat and a 3.95 gpa in chemical engineering at a top 25 undergrad school or you would've never gotten into med school in the first place, right?

people are competitive, insecure, and obsessive. residency will beat that out of you (well, most of you). it's the first time (in many of your lives) that you'll actually have to learn to function as a team. truly function as a team. that, and you're so damn tired all the time that all you really care about is getting the work done. no one cares what your grades were, where you went to school, if you published, what your step scores were anymore. they just want you to show up, work hard, not kill anyone, and not be a complete prick. if you accomplish those things, you'll do fine in any residency you get into. i know that you'll obsess until you get in, but most of you will... unless you are a complete tool (see previous statements).

again, good luck.

p.s. you know who struggles in residency? two types: (1) the gunner a-hole with no sense of humor who's always trying to prove his colleagues wrong and (2) the lazy piece of crap who barely shows up for ANYTHING (e.g. pre-rounds, rounds, grand rounds, etc.). if you aren't one of those two types, you'll do fine. no one will care where you came from or how you part your hair. just get your spot, work hard, and let the rest fall into place.
 
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VolatileAgent said:
the step score is NOT all that important in the grand scheme of things.
Granted, this is not an RCT, but the data suggest otherwise. (And I agree with you that Step 1 score is not predictive of success in residency)
 
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