any programs ask for USMLE Step II CS?

[Igor4sugry]

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Anyone that applied or is applying this fall to allopathic programs have to take USMLE Step II CS?

I know in FREIDA almost all programs want you to have taken USMLE CS, but there is no mention of using COMLEX CS in place of it. From what I heard before, but never confirmed, is that programs are fine with just comlex cs.

I would hate to take USMLE CS a second time and don't really have the money for it.

 

[the alchemist]

Anyone that applied or is applying this fall to allopathic programs have to take USMLE Step II CS?

I know in FREIDA almost all programs want you to have taken USMLE CS, but there is no mention of using COMLEX CS in place of it. From what I heard before, but never confirmed, is that programs are fine with just comlex cs.

I would hate to take USMLE CS a second time and don't really have the money for it.

I know for sure that Emory (they had to check for me but its a school rule for all specialties apparently) and UMich (I called and asked) require all 3 USMLEs and UMich needs the scores in before ranking.

 

[deleted245139]

depends on what residency you're looking at at Emory... EM accepts COMLEX (though I would venture a guess it's 'accepted' though USMLE is preferred)

 

[the alchemist]

depends on what residency you're looking at at Emory... EM accepts COMLEX (though I would venture a guess it's 'accepted' though USMLE is preferred)

really? when i rotated at emory in a different specialty, they didn't have a policy that i had to take the usmles for their dept, they called higher up in the university and were told that its the school's policy to require all 3 usmle. dunno if they misunderstood...that would suck since its costing a lot of extra $ to have to take them for me.

well, either way, i have to take them anyways since other programs i'm applying to said that i have to but that could be specialty specific.

 

[deleted245139]

really? when i rotated at emory in a different specialty, they didn't have a policy that i had to take the usmles for their dept, they called higher up in the university and were told that its the school's policy to require all 3 usmle. dunno if they misunderstood...that would suck since its costing a lot of extra $ to have to take them for me.

well, either way, i have to take them anyways since other programs i'm applying to said that i have to but that could be specialty specific.

I may owe an apology... I went back to Emory's site, and could have sworn that was where I saw that COMLEX was accepted... In retrospect I may have see in in a thread on SDN in the EM forum talking about DO friendly/COMLEX accepting programs. I've been a bit off balance ever since I fell for Anesthesia and have tried pulling double duty with Residency shopping

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

Quite frankly, that's dumb. I wouldn't bother with those programs.

 

[dozitgetchahi]

Quite frankly, that's dumb. I wouldn't bother with those programs.

Yeah really...kinda sucks because I was looking at UMich too but taking both CS exams is just gonna be waaaay too expensive.

I suspect this is a subtle (or not) way of "discouraging" DOs from applying.

 

[the alchemist]

Yeah really...kinda sucks because I was looking at UMich too but taking both CS exams is just gonna be waaaay too expensive.

I suspect this is a subtle (or not) way of "discouraging" DOs from applying.

yeah, tell me about it. had to finally break down and borrow gradplus loans for all the things i have to do to get a residency this coming year. didn't decide about umich yet (and they don't have any DOs in my chosen specialty so you might be right). only reason i decided to apply to emory was b/c i enjoyed my rotation there and the ppl in their program. either way, i'm not gonna let anyone reject me b/c i didn't take some test (i didn't really think that this was the best thing to put my foot down about so i bit the bullet).

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

yeah, tell me about it. had to finally break down and borrow gradplus loans for all the things i have to do to get a residency this coming year. didn't decide about umich yet (and they don't have any DOs in my chosen specialty so you might be right). only reason i decided to apply to emory was b/c i enjoyed my rotation there and the ppl in their program. either way, i'm not gonna let anyone reject me b/c i didn't take some test (i didn't really think that this was the best thing to put my foot down about so i bit the bullet).

Enjoy wasting that money for a program that'll likely never take you, even if you have CS.

 

[the alchemist]

Enjoy wasting that money for a program that'll likely never take you, even if you have CS.

wow, that sounds kinda harsh and how would u know if a program will take me or not regardless of the fact that i'm a do? i think u'd need more info than i've given to even make an assumption that your statement is true. i'm not going into something super competitive (exc that its harder for do's to get into but that's w/ most md specialties anyways).

i dunno about umich (haven't decided) but i think i have a good chance to get in at emory if i decide to go. the residency co-director who i worked w/ 2 wks out of my month rotating there wrote me a "strong" rec (he says that he turns down ppl that he can't write a good one for) and the rest of app is good enough to get an interview. plus they're do friendly in my specialty there so i don't think of it as wasting $ esp since i can't apply to do residencies anyway. whether taking cs helps w/ other programs, well, that's just an added benefit and i'm not going to pull myself out of the running from programs b/c i don't have the tests they want. might as well put my best and complete foot out there and have no regrets that i at least tried...

i have classmates applying to places like hopkins (where we've gotten ppl in the last couple of yrs, including one for gas), cornell, etc and for competitive md specialties, too. we've done pretty well in recent years getting ppl into places like cleveland clinic (very do friendly, someone prematched to gas and we have 3 going there for im this year), mayo, columbia/cornell, hopkins, yale (im), ucla, kessler (#2 in pm&r), baylor (rads), dartmouth (prematch) come to mind right away...we had 10+ prematch last yr and that's great for a class barely over 100, so i think we do just fine. i think its a good thing that ppl try to reach b/c u never know what might happen (but if u don't try, we all know what happens).

 

[MDpride]

really? when i rotated at emory in a different specialty, they didn't have a policy that i had to take the usmles for their dept, they called higher up in the university and were told that its the school's policy to require all 3 usmle. dunno if they misunderstood...that would suck since its costing a lot of extra $ to have to take them for me.

well, either way, i have to take them anyways since other programs i'm applying to said that i have to but that could be specialty specific.

Emory doesn't require all 3 USMLE. My senior matched into emory IM with COMLEX and USMLE 1 & 2 CK. Did 2 rotations over there though.

 

[the alchemist]

Emory doesn't require all 3 USMLE. My senior matched into emory IM with COMLEX and USMLE 1 & 2 CK. Did 2 rotations over there though.

well, guess the dept i'm applying to heard it wrong. i tried to convince them that though i'd take the 2 written tests that taking the 2-cs would be stupid and though they agreed, that's what their PD found out when she called higher up in the univ. oh well (umich still requires it in my specialty and i decided to apply so its at least put to some good use).

and i think i know ur senior, too. i knew him from b4 and saw him when i was there, too. he's actually chief res this year.

 

[EmoryEM]

Emory doesn't require all 3 USMLE. My senior matched into emory IM with COMLEX and USMLE 1 & 2 CK. Did 2 rotations over there though.

I matched into Emory EM. They only require COMLEX technically, but I doubt you get an interview with that unless a) you rotated there or b) you take AT LEAST USMLE step I CK. Step II CK will only help you (I took step I & II USMLE CK). Step II CS is definitely NOT required and is completely a waste of your money. Allopathic programs have difficulty understanding that we take a similar COMLEX test, and thus don't quite understand your question.