Any where to find individual schools USMLE performance?

[melnyc]

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Just as the title says. I am looking for a site that will tell me how students at a particular school performed on the USMLE. Anything of this sort would be much appreciated.

 

[modemduck]

Just as the title says. I am looking for a site that will tell me how students at a particular school performed on the USMLE. Anything of this sort would be much appreciated.

sorry melnyc, i don't know of a site that does that... perhaps SDN'ers can post about their own school:

i can tell you at columbia the avg for the past few years is about a 230
(one class had a 229 another class was 231 and i am pretty sure our class was a 230)

there are some top schools that i have "heard" don't have high averages... however the bottom line is that they end up having great matches b/c they are the top.. ie: yale & duke

i have also heard some schools such as Wash U. have unreal board scores

the important point in residency placement is that connections matter bigtime... so does research if you want a competitive field...

board scores can break an application if they are really low for the field:
ie: neurosurg avg for last yr was 235...
an applicant w/a 210 is not likely to get in
however an applicant with a 227 + research + good school w/a few connections will most likely get in

 

[DubZteR]

sorry melnyc, i don't know of a site that does that... perhaps SDN'ers can post about their own school:

i can tell you at columbia the avg for the past few years is about a 230
(one class had a 229 another class was 231 and i am pretty sure our class was a 230)

there are some top schools that i have "heard" don't have high averages... however the bottom line is that they end up having great matches b/c they are the top.. ie: yale & duke

i have also heard some schools such as Wash U. have unreal board scores

the important point in residency placement is that connections matter bigtime... so does research if you want a competitive field...

board scores can break an application if they are really low for the field:
ie: neurosurg avg for last yr was 235...
an applicant w/a 210 is not likely to get in
however an applicant with a 227 + research + good school w/a few connections will most likely get in

Is it fair to think about the USMLE as an equalizer for medical students much like the MCAT is for premeds and if so .. then is it safe to assume that someone with an awesome step 1 score will be given a chance to interview at a competitive program even if they come from a lower tier med school? Sorry if my questions sound simplistic.

Thanks

 

[fourthyearmed]

Is it fair to think about the USMLE as an equalizer for medical students much like the MCAT is for premeds and if so .. then is it safe to assume that someone with an awesome step 1 score will be given a chance to interview at a competitive program even if they come from a lower tier med school? Sorry if my questions sound simplistic.

Thanks

I think so. I go to a lower tiered med school in the South but this year among my classmates we have had interview invitations to Harvard, Hopkins, Vanderbilt, Emory, Baylor, Duke, Wake Forest, NYU, Wash U, Northwestern, CHOP, etc. so I think a high USMLE can get you where you want to go within reason. You'll still have to work a little harder to get there than someone from a higher ranked med school but it can be done.

 

[modemduck]

Is it fair to think about the USMLE as an equalizer for medical students much like the MCAT is for premeds and if so .. then is it safe to assume that someone with an awesome step 1 score will be given a chance to interview at a competitive program even if they come from a lower tier med school? Sorry if my questions sound simplistic.

Thanks

As you progress in the medicine track I think scores become less and less important and connections plus research are increasingly influential
ie:
SAT - extremely important
MCAT - very important
USMLE step 1 - important (very important for surgical subspecialties)
step 2 - not that important, just pass it
step 3 - just pass

If you go to a lower tier medical school and score very highly (235+) then you pretty much stand a good chance of getting into a competitive residency field. However, because the numbers are so small for some programs like derm/plastics/neurosurg/ent/ophtho, you may not get into the few top programs (like bascom palmer or wilmer for ophtho.. or barrow and harvard for neurosurg) unless you have connections and research.

Dubzter, are you debating about which medschool to go to or just questioning how hard you need to work for the USMLE step 1? My suggestion is to do as well as you can... (this may seem obvious, but many ppl don't realize that your score can be a limiting factor in your app if you perform out of the range of the specialty you want to go into.

 

[DubZteR]

I think so. I go to a lower tiered med school in the South but this year among my classmates we have had interview invitations to Harvard, Hopkins, Vanderbilt, Emory, Baylor, Duke, Wake Forest, NYU, Wash U, Northwestern, CHOP, etc. so I think a high USMLE can get you where you want to go within reason. You'll still have to work a little harder to get there than someone from a higher ranked med school but it can be done.

Thanks!!! 🙂

 

[DubZteR]

As you progress in the medicine track I think scores become less and less important and connections plus research are increasingly influential
ie:
SAT - extremely important
MCAT - very important
USMLE step 1 - important (very important for surgical subspecialties)
step 2 - not that important, just pass it
step 3 - just pass

If you go to a lower tier medical school and score very highly (235+) then you pretty much stand a good chance of getting into a competitive residency field. However, because the numbers are so small for some programs like derm/plastics/neurosurg/ent/ophtho, you may not get into the few top programs (like bascom palmer or wilmer for ophtho.. or barrow and harvard for neurosurg) unless you have connections and research.

Dubzter, are you debating about which medschool to go to or just questioning how hard you need to work for the USMLE step 1? My suggestion is to do as well as you can... (this may seem obvious, but many ppl don't realize that your score can be a limiting factor in your app if you perform out of the range of the specialty you want to go into.

Hi Modem,

Thanks for posting. It's nice to know that if I work hard and get a great score that I will still have a good shot at some of these more competitive programs even if I attend a mid tier medical school.

I asked b/c I'm still debating which school to attend and the deciding factors for me are ultimately going to depend on location and costs. My partner and I are trying to end up in the same city or at least somewhere very close and commutable so unfortunately I won't really be able to finalize my decision until he's done with his apps. I can appreciate how going to a more reputable school would help someone b/c like you said, it seems the more reputable programs are also affiliated with these institutions.

As someone who is in their 4th year and has had exposure to working with various residency directors ... what is your opinion on how most residency directors would view the following schools (ie. top, middle, lower tier?)

- SUNY Upstate vs. NYU Med ( I view Upstate as being a middle tier school whereas NYU is more top-middle tier?)

Thanks again 🙂

 

[melnyc]

Thanks for the info.

modemduck, for which residencies do you think it matters what med school you attend. besides derm/ortho/opthomology, what is considered competitive? I'm still undecided but i am interested in peds radiology. Do I need research to get into that field? Also, does it matter if I don't go to a top med school?

 

[stinkycheese]

Go to NYU, no contest. Upstate is nowhere near as good as NYU, and you'll have a better chance of matching into competitive NYC residencies coming from a competitive NYC school. It's worth the extra money.

 

[DrMom]

USMLE step 1 - important (very important for surgical subspecialties)
step 2 - not that important, just pass it
step 3 - just pass

Just a couple of quick points:
1. if you didn't do as well as you wanted on step 1, you can take step 2 earlier & do better to boost your residency app
2. step 3 does matter...if you want to do a fellowship (esp after internal medicine)

Otherwise, you really just need to pass these 2 exams. 🙂

 

[DubZteR]

Go to NYU, no contest. Upstate is nowhere near as good as NYU, and you'll have a better chance of matching into competitive NYC residencies coming from a competitive NYC school. It's worth the extra money.

That's what I was thinking myself but historically, Upstate has some amazing roots and living in NYC is soooooo much more expensive. I hope this is not a dumb question but does getting into a more competitive salary help guarantee that one will make more in the same specialty?

 

[Electrophys]

Sorry to ask the following basic questions...but I have absolutely NO clue what the USLME is about...

(1) From what I gather, it covers basic science as applied to clinical medicine as studied in the first 2 years of med school...but whats the format of the exam? Is it multiple choice (4 choices or 5), short answer, essay, or problem set? How many questions are on the exam? How long does it take to finish?

(2) Whats the USLME step 1 out of? And how do you determine your score? Is your score just the number of correct responses you gave?

Can someone point out a website that could answer these questions?

Thanks!!

 

[mpp]

USMLE Step 1 is multiple choice, 350 questions (7 blocks of 50 questions...you are given 1 hour for each block). Questions can have from 5 to 10+ answer choices. It is taken on computer. There is no top score. Last year the national average was 217 with a standard deviation of 24.

 

[LauraMac]

USMLE Step 1 is multiple choice, 350 questions (7 blocks of 50 questions...you are given 1 hour for each block). Questions can have from 5 to 10+ answer choices. It is taken on computer. There is no top score. Last year the national average was 217 with a standard deviation of 24.

oh ****, i hate computer exams. is it like the gre where you have to answer each question before you can move on, or can you do it in whatever order you want?

 

[DubZteR]

Is it multiple choice (4 choices or 5), short answer, essay, or problem set?

It is multiple choice but each question can have anywhere between 3 - 11 answer choices if I'm not mistaken.

How many questions are on the exam? How long does it take to finish?

I think it's an 8 hour 350 question test.

(2) Whats the USLME step 1 out of?

I'm not exactly sure how it's scored but I think it's out of 300 max.

 

[DubZteR]

Just as the title says. I am looking for a site that will tell me how students at a particular school performed on the USMLE. Anything of this sort would be much appreciated.

LINK 🙂

 

[Sundarban1]

As you progress in the medicine track I think scores become less and less important and connections plus research are increasingly influential
ie:
SAT - extremely important
MCAT - very important
USMLE step 1 - important (very important for surgical subspecialties)
step 2 - not that important, just pass it
step 3 - just pass
QUOTE]

SAT more important than MCAT, WTF 😕

 

[DubZteR]

As you progress in the medicine track I think scores become less and less important and connections plus research are increasingly influential
ie:
SAT - extremely important
MCAT - very important
USMLE step 1 - important (very important for surgical subspecialties)
step 2 - not that important, just pass it
step 3 - just pass
QUOTE]

SAT more important than MCAT, WTF 😕

I think modem meant to illustrate the trend that as one moves from college to medschool then to residency ... test scores become less important.

 

[skiracer90]

As you progress in the medicine track I think scores become less and less important and connections plus research are increasingly influential
ie:
SAT - extremely important
MCAT - very important
USMLE step 1 - important (very important for surgical subspecialties)
step 2 - not that important, just pass it
step 3 - just pass
QUOTE]

SAT more important than MCAT, WTF 😕

I know! You can get into college regardless of your SAT score...but you sure as hell won't get into medical school if you bomb the MCAT.


Oh...and your avatar is gonna give me nightmares for the rest of my life.

 

[stinkycheese]

That's what I was thinking myself but historically, Upstate has some amazing roots and living in NYC is soooooo much more expensive. I hope this is not a dumb question but does getting into a more competitive salary help guarantee that one will make more in the same specialty?

I'm sorry, I don't know what you're asking.

Upstate has a cool history, but that doesn't say anything about the quality of the education. It's a solid school, but not in the top half of med schools nationwide or anything. NYU is an excellent school with greater resources, clinical opportunities, etc. I love Upstate, but don't think it's worth turning down a chance to go to a good school like NYU.

 

[DubZteR]

I'm sorry, I don't know what you're asking.

Basically .. does attending a prestigious residency program help guarantee more money when you apply for jobs?

Upstate has a cool history, but that doesn't say anything about the quality of the education. It's a solid school, but not in the top half of med schools nationwide or anything. NYU is an excellent school with greater resources, clinical opportunities, etc. I love Upstate, but don't think it's worth turning down a chance to go to a good school like NYU.

Definately agree with you about NYU's greater resources. It's a toughie! Thanks for your input though 🙂

 

[flash]

I would pick Upstate over NYU on tuition reasons, personally. Younger people on this forum are really into the "prestige factor", facilities, etc. NYU may provide you with a "better education", but no where near worth it when you factor in cost, imo. Most med students I talk to don't even attend non-mandatory lectures...learning from text.

Law and B-School - go to best one you can get into, high correlation b/w future opportunities and the "prestige" of school, and there are meaningful quality of education difference.

Med School - not so much. Med school applicants are into where u did undergrad, new residents probably yap about where they did med school, and at the end of it all, no one really cares.

I don't know anything, of course. As an older applicant, I've just seen this type of rhetoric in many areas of study/industries and adcoms/recruiters play on it. Most people want to say they go to NYU Med, nice sound to it and some rationalize it rather convincingly to other young applicants with "better resources" and the like.


my $0.03

 

[stinkycheese]

I would pick Upstate over NYU on tuition reasons, personally. Younger people on this forum are really into the "prestige factor", facilities, etc. NYU may provide you with a "better education", but no where near worth it when you factor in cost, imo. Most med students I talk to don't even attend non-mandatory lectures...learning from text. .


my $0.03

The educational opportunities are not so much about didactics, but clinical resources. Additionally, since a lot of learning is collaborative in the modern medical curriculum, you want to go to a school with the most intelligent fellow students. (Not for competitiveness sake, so don't suggest that I am saying that). I want to learn in an environment where my classmates are the best and brightest. I find it easier to believe that is the case at a higher-ranked school which is harder to get into . (That, and my tour guides at Upstate seemed comatose, so I may be biased.)