Advice on delaying Step 1

[randommed233]

Throwaway account. I am scheduled to take Step 1 in the next few days but I've screwed up in how I've studied so far (not enough practice questions + was sick / did not work hard enough for part of dedicated study period). I've only completed 60% of UWorld with a 68% average. Scored a 230 in my last NBME. I had been aiming for a surgical subspecialty but that score would almost certainly keep me out of contention.

Would it be worth it take a year off doing research and spend the first 1-2 months finishing UWorld + maybe another Qbank in the hopes of getting a score competitive enough for that specialty, or should I cut my losses and look towards other specialties?

Part of the problem in my mind would be how obvious it would look if I took time off between MS2 and MS3 even if I had a productive research year.

Only other threads I found on this topic were for folks who were close to failing.

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[Ismet]

Can you talk to someone at your school about getting a study month for the first month of MS3? A handful of people at my school do that if they need an extra month to study.

A research year obviously wouldn't hurt, especially if you're going for a surgical subspecialty, but would you have anything lined up?

I'd pursue getting a study month and putting your nose to the grindstone before taking a previously-unplanned year off.

 

[randommed233]

Can you talk to someone at your school about getting a study month for the first month of MS3? A handful of people at my school do that if they need an extra month to study.

A research year obviously wouldn't hurt, especially if you're going for a surgical subspecialty, but would you have anything lined up?

I'd pursue getting a study month and putting your nose to the grindstone before taking a previously-unplanned year off.

I'll get more info the AM about getting a month off of MS3. I heard from others that inquired about this at my school that it would risk graduating a few months late, but I don't know the specifics.

Re: research year - I have several projects and could pick up more projects from the department, but I don't have a paid research position lined up.

 

[operaman]

Agreed that you need to work on finding out about extension options. I think a month might even be overkill and 2-3 weeks of full on study is probably plenty. I don't know how much it will help your scores - really depends on exactly what you're missing and why - but it may help your confidence and prevent you from freezing up on test day.

I think a research year at this point may not be that helpful and you risk losing a lot of baseline knowledge in a year off that might otherwise help you a bit on shelf exams. A research year between m3 and 4 seems much better timed in that you could line up a paid position, have your core clerkships behind you, and use some of the time to get a better score on step 2ck.

A 230 doesn't knock you out of the running for anything IF the rest of your application is strong. Now if the entire app is below average for your desired field, then that's another issue. Of course, a lackluster app with a 260 step 1 won't really do much for you in competitive fields either. Try and consider the big picture as you're planning your next moves and maximize what you can and cut losses when necessary.

 

[mymembernames]

Would be interested to know what your school thinks about the research year / step 1 delay. Plan to do something like that myself.