Feeling depressed after step 1 results

[the sky]

hey guys, i am an IMG and i took step 1 on the first week of October after 4 months of semi-dedicated studying and last week i got my results back which were a complete shock to me as it was very far from UWSA 1 and 2.

The problem is that after this period of studying i was pretty sure i would get a good score as my UWSA 1 (22 aug) was 239, then UWSA 2 (14 sep) was 244, but my real test score was 214 far from what i expected, and i have a friend who scored below me in every sim test and got a score of 235.

I think the reason i did so bad in the test was that i didn't sleep that night except for like 2 hours or so and i arrived at my prometric station in a very bad shape, i missed a lot of easy questions (i am pretty sure they were 90-80% correct rate for test takers).

I feel frustrated that after all this period of studying something out of my control destroyed me on the test day, after all it was my dream to become an excellent doctor in the US, now i feel like i failed my standard and i lost my confidence because i couldn't get an average score nevertheless a score that is one standard deviation below it.

Can an IMG student get accepted in a residency program with a score of 214 (regardless of specialty)?

PS. why don't they allow a retry in this test, it so frustrating to think that this score is final.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[W19]

FM/IM in the midwest and the deep south...

 

[PowerDan]

What were your NBME scores? Most people get within +/- 10 of the average of their recent NBMEs.
The UWSAs have always been notorious for being over predictive.

IMGs can get matched with below average scores too, if they have excellent contacts.

They do allow people who fail the test to retake it. For people who've passed, it wouldn't be fair to let them retake it as they would have an unfair advantage over first time takers in their subsequent attempts.

 

[DetectiveAlonzo]

U still passed. Better get ready to apply to 100+ FM or IM programs... and you cannot be picky location wise my friend.

Good luck

 

[PhillyMed777]

there's still hope
i'd recommend applying broadly as others have stated.
also, you'd be surprised. Even in community IM programs, many MANY people match in specialties, particularly if you are not picky about location.
Just keep the train moving right along.

I think it's for the best you can't retake, regardless of the real reason. About 75% of my class probably thinks they can do better with a retry. Can you imagine the ****-show with all these people, who are struggling to survive on clerkship also simultaneously trying to retake step 1. After long periods of dedicated studying that follows dedicated class time geared towards the test, there's no way you'd do better while trying to do clerkship. You'd probably just be a disaster of both worlds.

Summary - broad application to all over the country in non-competitive fields with community programs, keep working on doing well in what you will do next, nail step 2, and forget about re-takes and the like. It sucks that you didn't get what you expected, but such is the nature of the beast.

Good luck.

 

[Mad Jack]

hey guys, i am an IMG and i took step 1 on the first week of October after 4 months of semi-dedicated studying and last week i got my results back which were a complete shock to me as it was very far from UWSA 1 and 2.

The problem is that after this period of studying i was pretty sure i would get a good score as my UWSA 1 (22 aug) was 239, then UWSA 2 (14 sep) was 244, but my real test score was 214 far from what i expected, and i have a friend who scored below me in every sim test and got a score of 235.

I think the reason i did so bad in the test was that i didn't sleep that night except for like 2 hours or so and i arrived at my prometric station in a very bad shape, i missed a lot of easy questions (i am pretty sure they were 90-80% correct rate for test takers).

I feel frustrated that after all this period of studying something out of my control destroyed me on the test day, after all it was my dream to become an excellent doctor in the US, now i feel like i failed my standard and i lost my confidence because i couldn't get an average score nevertheless a score that is one standard deviation below it.

Can an IMG student get accepted in a residency program with a score of 214 (regardless of specialty)?

PS. why don't they allow a retry in this test, it so frustrating to think that this score is final.

They don't let you repeat it because it is a licensing exam and is not meant to evaluate the strength of candidates (despite the fact it is used this way). As to "out of your control", you could have done any number of things to ensure you slept. That's a struggle everyone has. You also could have chosen to not show up for the exam if you weren't feeling up to it. What's done is done, however. Work your butt off on Step 2 and apply top programs in the middle of nowhere and you might have a shot.