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.