Advice for middle of M3 with low step 1 - advice please

[wannabMD121]

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Hi all,

I am a MS3 with a LOW step 1 score of 205. I won't begin to make excuses for it, but I'm hardworking and smart and I don't want it to hold me back. I want to know what I can do at this point to maximize my chances of matching into a pediatrics residency.

Pre-clinical grades: Passes, not AOA
Clinical grades: I've had 3 rotations so far, HP and 2 P's. Haven't had peds rotation yet.
No research pubs. Did some research in med school which resulted in institutional poster.
Good community service and leadership activities
Step 1: 205

My plan now is to honor my pediatrics rotation and get a 240+ on step 2. With those stats, what would my chances be of matching at a mid-tier academic program? What can I do to maximize my chances given my poor step 1 score? Please help!

Thank you.

 

[mvenus929]

I have a friend who matched at UCSF with a score of 210. Your low step score alone will not prevent you from matching, even at a good academic program. But jumping 35-40 points on step 2 is not easy (not impossible, I did it, but not easy). Don't count on it and study hard, especially since you haven't honored a rotation yet. You will need to frame your application somehow-- do you have any leadership positions, passions, etc? And getting involved in additional research will not hurt, so if you find an attending you work well with on your rotation, query about possible research opportunities.

 

[thetubes]

I think you should be able to match as pediatrics is more forgiving than other fields. That being said, you should try your absolute hardest to make sure you score higher on the step 2 (at least 220 and ideally near the mean score). The reason is that those than tend to score low on these exams, tend to not pass the pediatric boards (this exam has a much higher fail rate than any of the steps at 15-20%) and it "hurts" a program if it has a low board pass rate/sets them up for possible probation.