Averge Step 1 score by school

Started by LakerWildcat
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Official announcement by a med school that their average was 240 (this was through e-mail to the students)

And no, I do not attend said med school...

Thoughts? Is this common with top schools that are highly research based? Or is this an aberration? Or is this an indication that this years Step1 was "easier" than before?
 
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C5toC9 said:
what is the said med school
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Not sure this is the answer you want but its a top 20 ranked research school.

Looking at some other threads it does seem that there are schools every year that do top the 240s mark in terms of average.

I'm just curious in that it's tough to interpret your USMLE score if you don't know what the baseline is. For example, getting a 218 with a 220 national average sure feels a lot better than a 218 with a 230+ national average...
 
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I think 240 is around the upper limit of plausibility.

In my opinion, a major and overlooked determinant of school mean USMLE is the % of students who are content to simply pass. I imagine that at some very competitive schools, this percentage is very low.
 
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When I was in med school the avg. score for a class on Step 1 was around 230, or maybe more. This was @one of the top 20 type research schools. 240 is pretty high, even for those type schools, but not totally unbelievable, particularly if it was a very good year. Similarly, there are doubtless schools where the average hovers in the 210-215 range, so it balances out.
 
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DivCurlZero said:
Hmm I'm not sure if I understand your original question anymore. The national average is still around 221 but it shouldn't be altogether all that surprising that between the schools that there is some variation in their mean scores seeing as how average MCATs and GPAs are also different. Don't get me wrong... a 240 average is pretty damn good for an entire school to average. Haha... is this Wash U?
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haha, no this is NOT WashU, although you are on the right track...
 
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dragonfly99 said:
When I was in med school the avg. score for a class on Step 1 was around 230, or maybe more. This was @one of the top 20 type research schools. 240 is pretty high, even for those type schools, but not totally unbelievable, particularly if it was a very good year. Similarly, there are doubtless schools where the average hovers in the 210-215 range, so it balances out.
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Yea that does make sense. The school I currently go to probably hovers around 215-225 in terms of yearly Step1 average. Last year was 224 I believe. Anywho, I'm still pretty impressed by the 240 but as someone said, there are definitely people in my class who aim to pass and started studying late without busting their asses too much, unlike myself who spent a good 4-5 months preparing. To each their own.
 
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Wait... So you guys are saying that even at hopkins or harvard 240 would only be a 50th percentile? I kinda always firgured that 90% of students there would have beat 260.

Still I bet the prestige of going to a good medical school means you're better off getting a 240 at hopkins than a 260 at some random generic medical school.

240 average is still pretty good especially considering my school has a step 1 failure rate almost 5 times the national average.
 
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SGuttenberg said:
Wait... So you guys are saying that even at hopkins or harvard 240 would only be a 50th percentile? I kinda always firgured that 90% of students there would have beat 260.

Still I bet the prestige of going to a good medical school means you're better off getting a 240 at hopkins than a 260 at some random generic medical school.

240 average is still pretty good especially considering my school has a step 1 failure rate almost 5 times the national average.
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I am just starting medical school in August, but from talking to current and past med students I think a possible explanation is that many students at highly-ranked schools see their institution as a built-in ticket to a good residency and therefore don't gun for Step scores in the 260s. I'm not saying this is the correct approach, but I could definitely picture a student from Harvard not busting him(her)self to break 260 if they want to match into IM/EM/Gas/etc. Of course there's also those who will be gunners for life, even when they're only trying to score the best bingo prize in the nursing home.

Edit: read the rest of the quoted post, I agree with the rest
 
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Was it Northwestern? I heard from people who go there that their average this year was 240.

Maybe we can compile a list of schools and their respective USMLE averages with contributions from students who go to those schools. I know school averages will have no bearing to the individual, but it might be an interesting resource for those pre-meds (and medical students) who are curious about how different schools perform.

My school hasn't released the performance data for this year yet, but we historically score in the low-mid 220s.
 
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Medical College of Wisconsin (as of c/o 2011) = 224
Northwestern (c/o 2012) = 240
West Virginia University (as of c/o 2011) = 226
Creighton (c/o 2011) = 226
 
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lord_jeebus said:
In my opinion, a major and overlooked determinant of school mean USMLE is the % of students who are content to simply pass. I imagine that at some very competitive schools, this percentage is very low.
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Last week our dean actively discouraged me from thinking about step 1 (I am starting second year soon) and said grades were more important - she said I just need to pass step 1, and when I commented that I had read some study saying that step 1 seemed to an important factor to PDs, she conceded that reaching the national average would be helpful. I was like, um, yeah, I'll take that under consideration. And then backed out of the room slowly. I doubt my school averages much in the board score department, but it's definitely not the students' fault.
 
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Not sure I want to invite premed students to our forum to research "average medical school board scores". Choosing a medical school is sooooo much more complicated than average MCAT or average board scores. That said, I would be excited to find out my school kicked you know what on boards.

As a side note, one thing I was really surprised about was how many people really want to go into primary care (where it seems factors besides board scores are often more impt). Being a silly premed once upon a time (now graduated to silly medical student.....) I used to think nobody really wanted to do primary care. Come to find out, many are passionate about it and just don't feel the necessity to bust their behind to get that 250, etc.

Good luck on boards everyone and congrats on all of the awesome scores I've seen on these forums. (Hope I can join the club tomorrow......4 more hours.....)
 
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HopefulDoc2007 said:
Not sure I want to invite premed students to our forum to research "average medical school board scores". Choosing a medical school is sooooo much more complicated than average MCAT or average board scores. That said, I would be excited to find out my school kicked you know what on boards.

As a side note, one thing I was really surprised about was how many people really want to go into primary care (where it seems factors besides board scores are often more impt). Being a silly premed once upon a time (now graduated to silly medical student.....) I used to think nobody really wanted to do primary care. Come to find out, many are passionate about it and just don't feel the necessity to bust their behind to get that 250, etc.

Good luck on boards everyone and congrats on all of the awesome scores I've seen on these forums. (Hope I can join the club tomorrow......4 more hours.....)
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And that's a GOOD thing for America. We need specialists but we also need PCP's to create medical homes and take charge in the long-term management of patients. Everybody is different and I think that's the problem that many pre-meds and even med studetns still don't understand. I'd NEVER want to be a neurosurgeon or a pediatrician but that doesn't mean those 2 fields are worthless (much the opposite).

As a future surgical specialist, I'm thankful that my patients are going to have PCPs that are concerned about their general health. Its the patients that don't have a medical home who float from specialist to specialist that eats up a lot of America's health care dollars.

Good luck on your score!
 
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HopefulDoc2007 said:
Not sure I want to invite premed students to our forum to research "average medical school board scores". Choosing a medical school is sooooo much more complicated than average MCAT or average board scores. That said, I would be excited to find out my school kicked you know what on boards.

As a side note, one thing I was really surprised about was how many people really want to go into primary care (where it seems factors besides board scores are often more impt). Being a silly premed once upon a time (now graduated to silly medical student.....) I used to think nobody really wanted to do primary care. Come to find out, many are passionate about it and just don't feel the necessity to bust their behind to get that 250, etc.

Good luck on boards everyone and congrats on all of the awesome scores I've seen on these forums. (Hope I can join the club tomorrow......4 more hours.....)
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meh, shouldn't we be talking about why people who get 260+270s (arguably, our brightest and/or most driven students) don't pursue primary care? that has always been the fundamental issue. rather than rationalizing it as people who score in certain ranges having different personalities (perhaps they simply have more options) or lacking motivation (I argue that if one is truly PASSIONATE about doing primary care, one would want to get the best training possible...and thus still care about that score)...we need to address those things ppl have been clamoring about (compensation, prestige, etc. etc.)

I guess my point is...people that want to pursue primary care would/should do it regardless of their score, like the people who wanna do ortho or rad (and didn't get 230+/AOA/penis implants).

EDIT: oh, my school said that 40+ got above 240, and ~20 got above 250...class size is around 115...I think...
 
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pianola said:
I think when I interviewed at the Mayo Clinic last year they said their average was 240. Haha.
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Funny, when I interviewed, they had a slide that said it was only 228.

Their average MCAT is well below some of the top tier schools, 240 for Mayo is not plausible IMO, especially since they spend so much of their time on "selectives" and not actually learning anything.
 
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Lacheln said:
Last week our dean actively discouraged me from thinking about step 1 (I am starting second year soon) and said grades were more important - she said I just need to pass step 1, and when I commented that I had read some study saying that step 1 seemed to an important factor to PDs, she conceded that reaching the national average would be helpful. I was like, um, yeah, I'll take that under consideration. And then backed out of the room slowly. I doubt my school averages much in the board score department, but it's definitely not the students' fault.
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What kind of lameass school is this???!!
 
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SuperSlacker said:
meh, shouldn't we be talking about why people who get 260+270s (arguably, our brightest and/or most driven students) don't pursue primary care? that has always been the fundamental issue. rather than rationalizing it as people who score in certain ranges having different personalities (perhaps they simply have more options) or lacking motivation (I argue that if one is truly PASSIONATE about doing primary care, one would want to get the best training possible...and thus still care about that score)...we need to address those things ppl have been clamoring about (compensation, prestige, etc. etc.)

I guess my point is...people that want to pursue primary care would/should do it regardless of their score, like the people who wanna do ortho or rad (and didn't get 230+/AOA/penis implants).
Click to expand...

Somebody who is smart and driven enough to get a 270 and is also dead set on doing primary care, is probably smart enough to realize that it isn't a worthwhile use of their time to bust ass for a super high score. The fact of the matter is that the best training programs for primary care do not require those types of astronomically high board scores and there are many other things that person could be doing that will enhance their knowledge and future careers more than re-memorizing the kreb's cycle. Also, if they are dedicated to going into primary care, they probably aren't hung up on prestige and getting the highest board score just to be able to be proud of themselves.

I'm all for improving working conditions for primary care docs and making it a more appealing field for people to go into, but I think that private practice primary care never has and never will attract the ubber-gunners intent on being big-shots in academic medicine, and I don't think that is a bad thing either.
 
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I call BS on any school posting a 240 average....unless its the US All Star Med School.

Last week our dean actively discouraged me from thinking about step 1 (I am starting second year soon) and said grades were more important - she said I just need to pass step 1, and when I commented that I had read some study saying that step 1 seemed to an important factor to PDs, she conceded that reaching the national average would be helpful. I was like, um, yeah, I'll take that under consideration. And then backed out of the room slowly. I doubt my school averages much in the board score department, but it's definitely not the students' fault.
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your dean is delusional. While your basic science marks may factor into deciding which students will be given coveted core rotations offered by your school, they are last on the list for selection criteria used by residency directors (which are the end all be all as far as I am concerned). While it doesn't mean you should be content with a C/low pass average from MS1 and MS2, basic science marks are not as important compared to step scores, clinical evals and LORs.

Somebody who is smart and driven enough to get a 270 and is also dead set on doing primary care, is probably smart enough to realize that it isn't a worthwhile use of their time to bust ass for a super high score. The fact of the matter is that the best training programs for primary care do not require those types of astronomically high board scores and there are many other things that person could be doing that will enhance their knowledge and future careers more than re-memorizing the kreb's cycle. Also, if they are dedicated to going into primary care, they probably aren't hung up on prestige and getting the highest board score just to be able to be proud of themselves.

I'm all for improving working conditions for primary care docs and making it a more appealing field for people to go into, but I think that private practice primary care never has and never will attract the ubber-gunners intent on being big-shots in academic medicine, and I don't think that is a bad thing either.
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this.
 
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vancouvergeorge said:
What kind of lameass school is this???!!
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aa62 said:
your dean is delusional. While your basic science marks may factor into deciding which students will be given coveted core rotations offered by your school, they are last on the list for selection criteria used by residency directors (which are the end all be all as far as I am concerned). While it doesn't mean you should be content with a C/low pass average from MS1 and MS2, basic science marks are not as important compared to step scores, clinical evals and LORs.
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To tell you the truth, I haven't bothered analyzing it much. I have a lot of friends who are further along in this process than I am, and am taking all advice with a grain of salt. What she said directly contradicted much of what I've heard, so I figured whatevs. I really like a lot of things about my school, but the career guidance is definitely not one of them.

My school is very primary care focused and the students are fairly low stress - not very competitive with each other that I've seen, so I'm sure that plays into her view. Those two things are great in my opinion, and part of why I picked the school. She did seem concerned that my questions were pathognomonic for gunnerism, which was kind of strange since I wasn't asking to be compared to anyone, simply asking if my performance first year was sufficiently decent that I should try to repeat it and use any extra energy for step 1, rather than fretting over a few points here or there. We don't have advisors, so I don't know what else I'm supposed to do.

I'm just going to do my best at each phase so as to keep my options open, including a strong step score - I'm not aiming for something competitive necessarily, but I want to have choices both in terms of field and location. If, on the other hand, I knew at this point that I wanted to go into primary care, I would definitely reduce my step 1 specific prep - it's not a good use of time in the grand scheme of one's career. Or life. 😛
 
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SuperSlacker said:
meh, shouldn't we be talking about why people who get 260+270s (arguably, our brightest and/or most driven students) don't pursue primary care? that has always been the fundamental issue. rather than rationalizing it as people who score in certain ranges having different personalities (perhaps they simply have more options) or lacking motivation (I argue that if one is truly PASSIONATE about doing primary care, one would want to get the best training possible...and thus still care about that score)...we need to address those things ppl have been clamoring about (compensation, prestige, etc. etc.)

I guess my point is...people that want to pursue primary care would/should do it regardless of their score, like the people who wanna do ortho or rad (and didn't get 230+/AOA/penis implants).

EDIT: oh, my school said that 40+ got above 240, and ~20 got above 250...class size is around 115...I think...
Click to expand...

I agree with you for sure. I that we need definitely need more people truly passionate about primary care. That said, I think that most people look at the average score in their field of interest (if they have one yet) and shoot to be at or above that score (since for most specialties the score is more of a screening tool rather than the end all be all of your application). I fit in the category of 1) Still open to many/most specialties as a possibility, 2) wanting to have as many options as possible (location, training style, etc.) regardless of specialty, and 3) Wanting to do as well as I can regardless of where/what I choose practice. Not only that but I really do feel like board studying might have been the most productive and helpful thing I could have done to get myself ready for rotations (I'm sure I will still feel like an idiot once they start but at least I will feel like a semi-prepared idiot. 🙂 ).
 
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