are the board scores that important??

[crazy about the world]

good morning~~ (or afternoon/evening where ever you may be)

i was wondering~~ are the board scores all that importnant? i mean, yes i DO understand the importance of it, seeing that ppl keep on posting that getting superb board scores is what you need to do what you want~

but, how about gpas in your med school? (yeah, this would be my biggest concern right now~~)
and other stuff??

could anybody give me an answer to this??

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[analu]

Good evening crazy (I'm on the other side of the dateline, though), I have repeatedly read on this board that Part I board scores are used as a screening criterion for very competitive residency spots, although many PD's will not admit to it. Check out the Rotations and Residencies forum for a couple of active threads addressing this point, i.e. the "cut-off" score to be competitive in radiology, etc. Being a standardized test, the boards are an easy way to categorize a residency candidate, much like the MCAT for med school applicants. Whether this is good or bad is not for me to say, as I haven't taken Part I yet.

GPA is important...do you folks participate in Alpha Omega Alpha? A good friend of mine, MS-4, swears that AOA got him into ortho. AOA, a good Dean's letter, enthusiastic letters of rec, maybe some research in your area of interest, perhaps even doing a fourth year elective at the program of interest (in order to impress the attendings and the PD)...these are some of the things you could do to increase your competitiveness on match day. But...the interview is the real "make or break" if you can get through the front door. At least that's what I've heard from friends---and SDN!

Good luck to you!

P.S. Seriously, those "C-O-R-E-A" signs are in French? I took two years of French in college, can't speak it, can barely read it <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" />

 

[leorl]

I believe AOA is strictly American, as no other country has fraternity/sororities or honors frats like the US does. Too bad eh?

But in my research, I've found that board scores are ESSENTIAL. Definitely not something to be blown off.

 

[ApacheIndian]

I'm assuming that since this is the International Forum, you are an IMG or an IMG-to-be. That said, I think the ABSOLUTE MOST IMPORTANT PROGNOSTIC FACTOR FOR YOUR CAREER IN THE U.S IS THE USMLE STEP 1. IMHO, that is followed in order of importance by Step 2, U.S. clinical experience, strong LoRs from U.S. docs, and a power personal statement... these are what you need to land an interview, at which point interpersonal skills and personality make a HUGE difference. Some would say I left out possibly the biggest factor... and that would be "connections." I did that intentionally b/c this, unlike the other factors, is very difficult to quantify and rank. Obviously, if your uncle has been the Chairman of the Department of Radiology at Program X for 20 years, I'd say you have a pretty good shot at landing that program... and "who you know" here would supercede even Step scores. However, if you have a cousin, who has a friend, who's husband is Chief Resident of Rads at that same program, this relation, although maybe potentially helpful to you, is not nearly as potent as the former, and would thus probably slip somewhere down the list.

Without going off onto a tangent, the short answer to your question is a resounding YES, board scores ARE IT for the IMG. Hope this helps... good luck...

 

[crazy about the world]

hey analu~~

thanks a bunch for your answer~

umm~~ i was just kidding about the corea thing~ we use Korea but i was just trying to be independent ( ) but it's true that korea is corea in french though~
and if you saw any signs on tv.. it's probably the same reason as mine~ because our country's name was corea in oh the 13th century(or maybe before that)~ but changed to korea after the invasion of the japanese ppl~ so.. some ppl tend to write korea in corea on purpose

well.. that ends my history lesson

umm.. than, what do you think is the relative importance of the gpas? assuming that the board scores is a 10?

oh and like someone up there said, nope there isn't such a thing as alpha omega alpha in korea~ too bad huh~

 

[Winged Scapula]

Yep...there are no AOA chapters abroad. They are resistant to open up ones (I inquired for my school in Australia).

USMLE Step 1 scores are likely the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT factor in obtaining a US residency for IMGs. GPAs are not standardized and US residency programs have no way of ascertaining what your gpa means, how well you did in comparison to US students, etc. The USMLE is a good way to compare you against all other candidates since everyone takes the same test.

Once you get in the door as Dr Cuts says, other things become more important, but I would place gpa rather low on the list behind USMLE scores, LORs and connections.

 

[Stormreaver]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Kimberli Cox:
•I would place gpa rather low on the list behind USMLE scores, LORs and connections.•••••One more thing I'd like to add there: I know most people here are US nationals/Green card holders, so they might not be aware that foreign nationals' visa status is an additional factor to be considered for residency, especially with the new regulations coming in.

 

[Legend]

Since you are going to school in Korea, your GPA won't weigh that much.

Just make sure you rock step I.