AAMC CiM Website Step 1 Scores Most Accurate?

[moodle]

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Hey everyone

Just a quick question: Is the AAMC Careers in Medicine website the most latest/accurate information we have with regards to average step 1 scores per field? I keep looking at the NRMP Charting Outcomes PDF document, but it came out in 2011 (so presumably, those individuals took Step 1 in 2009 😱)...so my guess is that this NRMP Charting Outcomes Data is a little out-of-date.

What is interesting is that some fields went up in average Step 1 scores (EM, Gen Surg, Otolaryngology) but some very competitive fields actually went down (Dermatology and Plastics). This, of course, assumes that the CiM website is accurate. If you check out some of the specialities in the CiM site and hover your mouse over the "Source" links, it states that the information is from the 2012-2013 characteristics of entering residents. Also, the data below are the average Step 1 scores from first-year residents (and not just an average of all who applied). Just FYI, you need to be a US medical student to gain access to this specific site within AAMC.org.

Should we just use the AAMC CiM website if we want the most accurate information?


For example:
-Emergency Medicine: 223 (2011 Charting Outcomes) vs 225 (AAMC CiM)
-General Surgery: 227 (2011 Charting Outcomes) vs 228 (AAMC CiM)
-Internal Medicine: 226 (2011 Charting Outcomes) vs 226 (AAMC CiM)
-Pediatrics: 221 (2011 Charting Outcomes) vs 222 (AAMC CiM)
-Family Medicine: 213 (2011 Charting Outcomes) vs 214 (AAMC CiM)

-Diagnostic Radiology: 240 (2011 Charting Outcomes) vs 238 (AAMC CiM)
-Otolaryngology: 243 (2011 Charting Outcomes) vs 244 (AAMC CiM)
-Dermatology: 244 (2011 Charting Outcomes) vs 241 (AAMC CiM)
-Plastic Surgery 249 (2011 Charting Outcomes) vs 244 (AAMC CiM)
-Orthopedic Surgery 240 (2011 Charting Outcomes) vs 239 (AAMC CiM)

 

[orchitisphlebitis]

I think that just because the overall average for test takers went up (and for that administration period iirc, according to the score report), it doesn't mean that you can necessarily draw that the average for ALL specialties has went up. I too was wondering about which set of data is "the" set to trust. The CtO data is a little old, but I don't see any reason why the above wouldn't be just as valid. Doesn't CtO draw from AAMC data anyways?