Failed Step 2CS

[Ghirardelli]

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I am applying to neurosurgery residency this fall and I have failed the Step 2CS. I plan to retake it in September. How much will the fail in Step 2CS affect my chances of getting interviews? Thanks

 

[skiz knot]

I am applying to neurosurgery residency this fall and I have failed the Step 2CS. I plan to retake it in September. How much will the fail in Step 2CS affect my chances of getting interviews? Thanks

I think the fact that you have such poor interpersonal skills (as indicated by failing step 2, and surely to be subtly alluded to in your dean's letter/LORs) will affect your chances of getting interviews.

Good luck.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I think the fact that you have such poor interpersonal skills (as indicated by failing step 2, and surely to be subtly alluded to in your dean's letter/LORs) will affect your chances of getting interviews.

Good luck.

Wow, that's about the least helpful post I've ever read on SDN. Good job. 🙄 Having known some people who have failed CS, it's not purely interpersonal skills. I've known some people who were actually pretty awesome with patients who have failed.

As to the op, I don't know the answer. Hopefully someone who knows a little more about neurosurgery can help you out.

 

[sniperdoc]

I think the fact that you have such poor interpersonal skills (as indicated by failing step 2, and surely to be subtly alluded to in your dean's letter/LORs) will affect your chances of getting interviews.

Good luck.

Real nice advice. While you're at it, why don't you just give this guy a bottle of scotch and a handgun so he can go blow his brains out?

You sound like the typical bitter, jealous guy who gets mediocre grades and wishes bad on others; the type who jealously attempts to marginalize others' 99s on 1 & CK, but sensationalize the importance of a subjective useless exam like CS when a good student fails it.

If I am wrong, and you actually are a good student, then it is you who has zero interpersonal skills. You may have passed CS, which is no doubt a true measure of genius, but you cannot even show some common respect for a fellow colleague. Good luck.

 

[skiz knot]

I stand by my statement. Yes, it is true that Step II CS is not all about interpersonal skills. There is a small requirement of medical knowledge. Assuming that the OP has the grades/step scores to even consider NS, there must have been something lacking on test day. It may sound harsh, but NS programs have their pick of the "best and brightest." Failing a test that most consider to be a $1000 speed bump should raise red flags. Was it lack of knowledge? Interpersonal skills? Failure to take the test seriously? Whatever the reason, it is not viewed as a good thing. Next application please.
Can I be 100% sure that you won't match into NS? No, of course not. Give it a shot if that is truly what you want to be. As for anyone applying to a highly competitive specialty, make sure you have a backup plan unless you have a rock-solid application.

 

[greymew]

I stand by my statement. Yes, it is true that Step II CS is not all about interpersonal skills. There is a small requirement of medical knowledge. Assuming that the OP has the grades/step scores to even consider NS, there must have been something lacking on test day. It may sound harsh, but NS programs have their pick of the "best and brightest." Failing a test that most consider to be a $1000 speed bump should raise red flags. Was it lack of knowledge? Interpersonal skills? Failure to take the test seriously? Whatever the reason, it is not viewed as a good thing. Next application please.
Can I be 100% sure that you won't match into NS? No, of course not. Give it a shot if that is truly what you want to be. As for anyone applying to a highly competitive specialty, make sure you have a backup plan unless you have a rock-solid application.

The quality of this advice is suspect.

Speaking for myself, a few years ago I was an interviewee for neurosurgical positions. Now I am the interviewer, so I have a reasonable idea of what we look for. I can tell you that step 2CS is one of many layers to any application. Yes, I would ask you to explain what happened, but it would not be a deal-breaker. The best way to counteract any deficiency is to have an honest, humble, and proactive response ("I had a bad day. I made a mistake on X, Y, or Z. I learned X, Y, or Z, and I will not make that mistake again.").

It is a misconception that only the "best and brightest" apply for competitive residencies. My wife did better than I did on every test, but she went into family medicine. The average applicant for neurosurgery is slightly above average in scores. There are some extreme high and low applicants too, but we look at the applicant as a whole, not only scores.

Another thing you can do to offset your step 2CS issue is be visible (but not annoying) at the residency's educational days. Write papers with the current residents or attendings. Pick one patient to be your "personal patient," (help them recover, assist with their PT/OT, etc). There are many ways to show your value - be creative.

This failed test may prevent you from getting an interview at programs you did not rotate at as a student, but we interview almost any student who rotated with us - no matter what their scores were - if we felt we could work with them as residents.

So I hope this helps. Feel free to send me a private message or email if you have further questions that you would rather not post for fear of a sarcastic/condescending/"skizy" reply.

-greymew
[email protected]

 

[thethom]

Great post Grey,

Also it should be known that the NBME makes mistakes from time to time. I "failed" the CS first time around, and had pretty good 1 and CK scores, took it again, passed and went on to residency, I recieved a letter from them about 2 months into residency stating that there was a glitch in their grading of patient notes affecting many people, and that my fail was actually a pass, and that they would reimburse me for all undue costs for the redundant examination. On my first test performance summary, the ICE section was off the chart fail, if any of your performance indicators are suspiciously skewed you should consider an error on the NBME's part. If anyone wants to see this letter I can forward it to them.

Best of luck,

-Dr. T.

The quality of this advice is suspect.

Speaking for myself, a few years ago I was an interviewee for neurosurgical positions. Now I am the interviewer, so I have a reasonable idea of what we look for. I can tell you that step 2CS is one of many layers to any application. Yes, I would ask you to explain what happened, but it would not be a deal-breaker. The best way to counteract any deficiency is to have an honest, humble, and proactive response ("I had a bad day. I made a mistake on X, Y, or Z. I learned X, Y, or Z, and I will not make that mistake again.").

It is a misconception that only the "best and brightest" apply for competitive residencies. My wife did better than I did on every test, but she went into family medicine. The average applicant for neurosurgery is slightly above average in scores. There are some extreme high and low applicants too, but we look at the applicant as a whole, not only scores.

Another thing you can do to offset your step 2CS issue is be visible (but not annoying) at the residency's educational days. Write papers with the current residents or attendings. Pick one patient to be your "personal patient," (help them recover, assist with their PT/OT, etc). There are many ways to show your value - be creative.

This failed test may prevent you from getting an interview at programs you did not rotate at as a student, but we interview almost any student who rotated with us - no matter what their scores were - if we felt we could work with them as residents.

So I hope this helps. Feel free to send me a private message or email if you have further questions that you would rather not post for fear of a sarcastic/condescending/"skizy" reply.

-greymew
[email protected]