Failed Step. Sitting for COMLEX soon. How to go about not reporting Step?

[TunaCheeseEgg]

Step 1: F
COMLEX: Pending


I failed Step around a month ago. My school does not require COMLEX to go onto rotations, so I haven't taken that yet, though my current date is about a week from my school's deadline.

COMLEX prep is my responsibility and a separate post, but this post is to ask about not reporting Step 1. I called ERAS and they themselves told me firmly that reporting STEP exams is not required. So, as long as I am honest during interviews that do ask about STEP, it's not a match violation.

However, there's another issue. A lot of DO deans and admins are unaware of the new rule change and are requiring their students to report STEP. . And of course all schools get STEP reports back. I have not asked my own admin about it yet. My plan was to study Step 1 and Level 2 concurrently post COMLEX and then if admin, on their own, told me it was required, to then sit for it and take it before MATCH, and of course, kill STEP 2 if reporting the STEP 1 failure is required. Thoughts on what I should do?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

There is no new rule change. It's been the same requirement that only COMLEX is required to be reported. Forget the step. You failed it. Even with a high step 2, the failure is enough not to interview or rank you at some places

 

[TunaCheeseEgg]

There is no new rule change. It's been the same requirement that only COMLEX is required to be reported. Forget the step. You failed it. Even with a high step 2, the failure is enough not to interview or rank you at some places

I agree with you. My question is what to do about admins who say it’s mandatory to report. I’d stillbe in school when applying so it’s a sticky situation

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

I agree with you. My question is what to do about admins who say it’s mandatory to report. I’d stillbe in school when applying so it’s a sticky situation

Who cares? Just make sure they aren't putting it on their MSPE

 

[Dr. Anonymouss]

Who cares what your school wants you to do. They’re setting you up for failure as you’ll get screened out of 95% of programs. The most important thing is that they don’t put it on their MSPE so you’ll have to verify that.

On a side note I don’t believe you can release step 2 without releasing step 1. Someone with more knowledge on this please jump in. If that’s the case then don’t even take step 2. It doesn’t matter if you scored 285 on step 2. A lot of programs (think high tier and academic) have a filter that screen for step 1 failure and you’d never even have the chance for someone to lay eyes on your app

 

[TunaCheeseEgg]

Who cares? Just make sure they aren't putting it on their MSPE

Who cares what your school wants you to do. They’re setting you up for failure as you’ll get screened out of 95% of programs. The most important thing is that they don’t put it on their MSPE so you’ll have to verify that.

On a side note I don’t believe you can release step 2 without releasing step 1. Someone with more knowledge on this please jump in. If that’s the case then don’t even take step 2. It doesn’t matter if you scored 285 on step 2. A lot of programs (think high tier and academic) have a filter that screen for step 1 failure and you’d never even have the chance for someone to lay eyes on your app

I was being a dumb creature and told a good amount of friends and others at school that I failed STEP, and told anyone who asked that I would not report. I did not think anything of it at the time because I would not have guesses school admins care what we do with STEP scores. I am unaware if it goes onto the MSPE but I don't think so.

While I know they can't auto filter failed STEPs per the program director that's on here, that's likely the first thing they'll open so pretty much hosed there. Also, would I not be screwed for high tier and academic regardless? They'll likely look for a first pass STEP.

EDIT: Also, can your school not check if you report and open disciplinary proceedings? It'd be a different thing if I applied out of graduation.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

I was being a dumb creature and told a good amount of friends and others at school that I failed STEP, and told anyone who asked that I would not report. I did not think anything of it at the time because I would not have guesses school admins care what we do with STEP scores. I am unaware if it goes onto the MSPE but I don't think so.

While I know they can't auto filter failed STEPs per the program director that's on here, that's likely the first thing they'll open so pretty much hosed there. Also, would I not be screwed for high tier and academic regardless? They'll likely look for a first pass STEP.

EDIT: Also, can your school not check if you report and open disciplinary proceedings? It'd be a different thing if I applied out of graduation.

You'll be screwed at a lot more places than high tier if you report a step 1 failure

I don't know your school's policy to comment on what they'll do if they find out you didn't report

 

[DrZoidbergDO]

Who cares what your school wants you to do. They’re setting you up for failure as you’ll get screened out of 95% of programs. The most important thing is that they don’t put it on their MSPE so you’ll have to verify that.

On a side note I don’t believe you can release step 2 without releasing step 1. Someone with more knowledge on this please jump in. If that’s the case then don’t even take step 2. It doesn’t matter if you scored 285 on step 2. A lot of programs (think high tier and academic) have a filter that screen for step 1 failure and you’d never even have the chance for someone to lay eyes on your app

Yeah afaik that's right. When you go on ERAS, you only have the option to release step scores in general, it doesn't specify 1 or 2 so whatever scores you have are getting sent

 

[TunaCheeseEgg]

Yeah afaik that's right. When you go on ERAS, you only have the option to release step scores in general, it doesn't specify 1 or 2 so whatever scores you have are getting sent

Who cares what your school wants you to do. They’re setting you up for failure as you’ll get screened out of 95% of programs. The most important thing is that they don’t put it on their MSPE so you’ll have to verify that.

On a side note I don’t believe you can release step 2 without releasing step 1. Someone with more knowledge on this please jump in. If that’s the case then don’t even take step 2. It doesn’t matter if you scored 285 on step 2. A lot of programs (think high tier and academic) have a filter that screen for step 1 failure and you’d never even have the chance for someone to lay eyes on your app

I also confirmed with ERAS that you can release all STEP scores or none. There’s no releasing only some attempts.

 

[Neopolymath]

Your school cannot see anything on your ERAS unless you let them...

 

[Dr. Anonymouss]

I also confirmed with ERAS that you can release all STEP scores or none. There’s no releasing only some attempts.

Okay so then the decision becomes easy. Don’t worry about retaking step 1 and don’t worry about step 2 because you shouldn’t take it. Do your best to kill comlex 2 and then focus your application on programs that are historically DO. Not reporting step 2 will definitely get you filtered at some programs and so will not reporting step 1, but I’m afraid Albino is correct. If you report step 1 even with a retake pass you will get filtered out at many more programs than the prior option….

 

[deleted1168269]

Who cares what your school wants you to do. They’re setting you up for failure as you’ll get screened out of 95% of programs. The most important thing is that they don’t put it on their MSPE so you’ll have to verify that.

On a side note I don’t believe you can release step 2 without releasing step 1. Someone with more knowledge on this please jump in. If that’s the case then don’t even take step 2. It doesn’t matter if you scored 285 on step 2. A lot of programs (think high tier and academic) have a filter that screen for step 1 failure and you’d never even have the chance for someone to lay eyes on your app

I strongly suspect that a school reporting a Step Score on an MSPE (especially a DO school, since it’s not a graduating requirement) rises to the level of a FERPA violation.

 

[Ho0v-man]

Don’t report STEP scores. Don’t allow your school access to ERAS.

Read every letter of your schools manual after comlex is done and passed. Unless there is a line about it being mandatory that you allow them access to your ERAS account, they don’t have a leg to stand on. My school tried to press us to do this and the majority of us ignored them because there’s really no benefit.

I was unaware that osteopathic schools got our step results.

 

[mbdriver]

Don’t report STEP scores. Don’t allow your school access to ERAS.

Read every letter of your schools manual after comlex is done and passed. Unless there is a line about it being mandatory that you allow them access to your ERAS account, they don’t have a leg to stand on. My school tried to press us to do this and the majority of us ignored them because there’s really no benefit.

I was unaware that osteopathic schools got our step results.

Per the ERAS 2024 Dean's Workstation User Guide, schools can see what documents have been uploaded into an applicant's ERAS account and what documents have been sent to individual programs. This does not appear to be an option that applicants can opt out of in the way that they can with the application portion of ERAS.

 

[Ho0v-man]

Per the ERAS 2024 Dean's Workstation User Guide, schools can see what documents have been uploaded into an applicant's ERAS account and what documents have been sent to individual programs. This does not appear to be an option that applicants can opt out of in the way that they can with the application portion of ERAS.

View attachment 377771View attachment 377772

Not sure why my school pressed us to grant them access. I wondered if this was a new development, but it looks like one I found from 2020.

I would still not release step scores. If for some reason they ask, say you didn’t know you had to because ERAS said you don’t.