Cutoffs for residency programs

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stayclassy

nice shoes, wanna palpate
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Posting on behalf of a friend:

"I was wondering if there is a list or website somewhere that has minimum Step 1 or Step 2 scores for residency applications... being able to see this will save me from wasting any money because my Step 1 score was a 197, and I've heard there are programs that have 200 minimum cutoff score. Thanks in advance"

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There is no such list that I know of. Very few programs actually list a cutoff number, because it changes from year to year depending on the applicant pool.
 
There is no such list that I know of. Very few programs actually list a cutoff number, because it changes from year to year depending on the applicant pool.

Agreed. While many programs have a cutoff, the vast majority won't list it.

And your "friend" should know that applying to residency programs is dirt cheap (as far as every other cost in this process goes) - you can apply to 70 programs for about what it costs to register for Step 2 CS.

With a Step 1 like that, there are some obvious programs that will be out of his/her reach (basically any top academic program) but, depending on the specialty (and with a sub-200 step 1 score, your "friend" should be looking at FM, IM, Peds, Psych, not ENT, Derm and Rad Onc) that still leaves plenty of places to consider.
 
Try this site and plug in your numbers. It is a rough estimate and it is free.
 
Agreed. While many programs have a cutoff, the vast majority won't list it.

And your "friend" should know that applying to residency programs is dirt cheap (as far as every other cost in this process goes) - you can apply to 70 programs for about what it costs to register for Step 2 CS.

With a Step 1 like that, there are some obvious programs that will be out of his/her reach (basically any top academic program) but, depending on the specialty (and with a sub-200 step 1 score, your "friend" should be looking at FM, IM, Peds, Psych, not ENT, Derm and Rad Onc) that still leaves plenty of places to consider.

thanks for your reply. and as a MS1, i wouldnt be too disappointed with a 197 at this stage in the game ;)
 
Posting on behalf of a friend:

"I was wondering if there is a list or website somewhere that has minimum Step 1 or Step 2 scores for residency applications... being able to see this will save me from wasting any money because my Step 1 score was a 197, and I've heard there are programs that have 200 minimum cutoff score. Thanks in advance"

You will not find any official posted cutoffs. As someone has already mentioned, the 'cutoff' changes from year to year. If we have an exceedingly competitive applicant pool one year and everyone has step one scores >250, then in general it becomes more difficult for applicants with less competitive scores to make it to interview. If the following year the applicant pool suddenly becomes much less competitive and we are seeing step one scores in the 200-220 range, then it becomes easier for marginal candidates to land an interview. (These are just hypothetical numbers. In general, the mean values don't fluctuate that much from year to year.)

That being said, assuming your friend does not have other potentially mitigating factors, a <200 board score will probably remove him/her from contention at competitive programs in competitive specialties. e.g., it is probably a waste of time to apply to UCSF derm or Brigham IM. But there are no simple rules of thumb.

-AT.
 
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