Most of my interview days, I have been the only one. I don't know what board scores most people have. One interview day though there was someone with an 85 two digit score who had been told that was a pretty good score. More than hearing comments specifically about board scores, I have heard from interviewers about my overall academic record (I have good grades but am not AOA, because my school has a strange way of figuring it out, but I think most interviewers assume my grades are the equivalent). I think, as with everything else, the impression you leave is not based on one part of your application but on the whole. That being said, I received at least 5 interview requests when all the programs had was my board score and my basic application. No grades, no LOR, no deans letter. And I have had a couple of PDs tell me my board score was "very impressive" so I tend to think step I is more important than it probably should be. The more informative comments I have received, however, have been based on LOR and my past experience. They seem to indicate that while board scores indicate you are a good student and are likely to continue to pass your future board exams, LORs and past experience, with some contribution from grades, indicate whether you are going to be a good pathologist and team member. And believe it or not, the personal statement seems to help. I get comments from many interviews (some don't bother reading personal statements, though) that my statement is what "most impresses" them. So don't ignore it.
Thus, my overall impression: Programs will weed out some applicants based on board score when it comes to requesting interviews, and they do consider them in the overall evaluation. But other factors are more important. It's kind of a numbers thing. If you get hundreds of applicants for 5 spots, e.g., you need something to lower that number that is objective. So, you "discard" everyone with a certain score. It's hard to devote the necessary time to evaluating every application thoroughly at the early stage. Once you come for an interview though, it is evaluated thoroughly and you can give more weight to other subjective things like LOR. And the interview, of course, can really make an impression either way.
I think you have to take step I. I don't think its an option. Licensing requirements.
