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Abcdefghijkl

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Again, I have another silly question about Step 1 (I'm Canadian so there is NO information given to us about the USMLE at all...just to give you an idea where I'm coming from).

A passing score according to the website is 185. What, then, constitutes a good score? I just took my first practise test from the NBME web site and scaled, I got a 215...I know that isn't good but it is a pass and I have 6 weeks left of studying...but I'm not sure what I should be aiming for!

Clues? Thanks!
 
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Abcdefghijkl said:
Again, I have another silly question about Step 1 (I'm Canadian so there is NO information given to us about the USMLE at all...just to give you an idea where I'm coming from).

A passing score according to the website is 185. What, then, constitutes a good score? I just took my first practise test from the NBME web site and scaled, I got a 215...I know that isn't good but it is a pass and I have 6 weeks left of studying...but I'm not sure what I should be aiming for!

Clues? Thanks!
Click to expand...

215 - average
230 - not bad
240 - good job
250 - worthy of a pat on the back
260+ - NIIICE
 
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The national mean is around 217.

You may as well shoot for the highest score you're capable of.

Over 230 should get you past most cut-offs. Over 240, and any failure to get an interview will not be on the basis of your Step I.
 
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blz said:
215 - average
230 - not bad
240 - good job
250 - worthy of a pat on the back
260+ - NIIICE
Click to expand...

While it's great that blz is so confident of his scores 😉 I think this is a little over-inflated for most people. 250 is really not considered to be just "pat on the back" in most circles... it's pretty astronomical.
 
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lol...listen to these other guys if you care about what residency directors think.
 
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probably depends on what residency you want to get. 220 for IM probably will land you a decent spot without too much worry. A 220 for plastic surgery will most likely not get you an interview, but who knows I'm sure crazier things have happened. If you are worried about it and want to be able to go to sleep at night knowing you are ok for pretty much any field, aim for 240 or higher. IMO 240+ is an awesome score and over 250 is outstanding, and really REALLY hard to get (not if you read SDN posts though). 260 is like 2 standard deviations above the mean so you will be in approximately the top 2.5% or in otherwords 97.5 percentile.

But again, I'm just about to start my 3rd year. I'm not trying to be an expert. Just trying to let you know from what I've heard and read.
 
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Freshnstylin said:
probably depends on what residency you want to get. 220 for IM probably will land you a decent spot without too much worry. A 220 for plastic surgery will most likely not get you an interview, but who knows I'm sure crazier things have happened. If you are worried about it and want to be able to go to sleep at night knowing you are ok for pretty much any field, aim for 240 or higher. IMO 240+ is an awesome score and over 250 is outstanding, and really REALLY hard to get (not if you read SDN posts though). 260 is like 2 standard deviations above the mean so you will be in approximately the top 2.5% or in otherwords 97.5 percentile.

But again, I'm just about to start my 3rd year. I'm not trying to be an expert. Just trying to let you know from what I've heard and read.
Click to expand...

Surprisingly, over 1/3 of US seniors in the 210-219 range matched in integrated plastics. In derm, about half.

Which goes to show that there is more to the match than Step I.
 
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If I got a 250 I would probably get it tatooed on my forehead. ( wonder how that would go over in interviews), oh, and I would start introducing my self as, Rugby, I scored a 250 on step I, MD.
a 240 would claim a prestigious spot on my butt. probably a similar intro.
heck. a 183 and I would call my self Rugby, I passed the usmle, MD.:hardy:
 
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great!

usmle isn't required for canadian residency programs....i don't even think i need to tell them that i wrote it if i don't score as high as i'd like.....i'm just writing as a good way to get some details reviewed for the wards and also in case a fellowship opportunity in the states opens up and needs the usmle (and then i wont be 6 years post-preclinical stuff when i write)
 
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Freshnstylin said:
260 is like 2 standard deviations above the mean so you will be in approximately the top 2.5% or in otherwords 97.5 percentile.
Click to expand...
I thought a 240 was already in the 99th percentile? Everyone always says "240/99". Or is the "99" not really a percentile?
 
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domer621 said:
I thought a 240 was already in the 99th percentile? Everyone always says "240/99". Or is the "99" not really a percentile?
Click to expand...

hah no way. the two digit number just makes you sound more important.

avg is a 217 with like a 24 SD. you can use your stats skills to figure out the percentiles.
 
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lord_jeebus said:
It only exists because a couple of state licensing boards will not accept a 3 digit number, for whatever inane reason.
Click to expand...

My report says that the two and three digit scores are equivalent. If anything over 240 in fact correlates with a two digit score of 99, then many, many three digit scores are equivalent to the same two digit score (i.e., 99), which doesn't make much sense. In any case, I have heard that anything greater than or equal to 240/99 is essentially the same score and will make you competitive--at least in terms of USMLE scores--for any residency position. A student told me this and I didn't believe him, but then the chairman of the radiology department said the same thing at a meeting. He specifically said that they group applicants into a 240/5+ class and that it therefore doesn't really matter if an applicant scores 248 or 263.
 
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DrDarwin said:
My report says that the two and three digit scores are equivalent. If anything over 240 in fact correlates with a two digit score of 99, then many, many three digit scores are equivalent to the same two digit score (i.e., 99), which doesn't make much sense. In any case, I have heard that anything greater than or equal to 240/99 is essentially the same score and will make you competitive--at least in terms of USMLE scores--for any residency position. A student told me this and I didn't believe him, but then the chairman of the radiology department said the same thing at a meeting. He specifically said that they group applicants into a 240/5+ class and that it therefore doesn't really matter if an applicant scores 248 or 263.
Click to expand...

That's not what I was told from our radiology department. They told me specifically that boards are VERY IMPORTANT and everyone they interview has atleast a 99. just depends on the program.
 
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blz said:
That's not what I was told from our radiology department. They told me specifically that boards are VERY IMPORTANT and everyone they interview has atleast a 99. just depends on the program.
Click to expand...

Do you mean that every interviewee has at least 240/99? If 99 is the highest possible two digit score, I don't understand how any interviewee could have had higher than that.
 
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DrDarwin said:
Do you mean that every interviewee has at least 240/99? If 99 is the highest possible two digit score, I don't understand how any interviewee could have had higher than that.
Click to expand...

Yes, all have a 99 and probably a lot higher than 240. The point is though it just depends on the program.
 
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blz said:
That's not what I was told from our radiology department. They told me specifically that boards are VERY IMPORTANT and everyone they interview has atleast a 99. just depends on the program.
Click to expand...

i think PD's must find a certain kind of pleasure in telling gunner med students things like this to freak them out...

a quick glance at that "Charting outcomes in the match" document that's floating around is pretty revealing- aside from a handful of residency programs, a 215 will not hold you back, much less a 220, 230 or higher.

according to last year's report, 90% of us grads applying to rads with less than a 220 on step 1 got in. they probably ranked a lot of programs, worked hard on away rotations, maybe did research, maybe they weren't a complete tool and easy to work with.

so yeah, relax...besides, if you don't get a 250+ step1 and integrated plastics at partners, you can always do gsurg residency at some random place, do a 1 yr breast fellowship at harvard, get a tv show, wear harvard parephenalia and start every sentence with "when i was at harvard..."
 
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greater_omentum said:
so yeah, relax...besides, if you don't get a 250+ step1 and integrated plastics at partners, you can always do gsurg residency at some random place, do a 1 yr breast fellowship at harvard, get a tv show, wear harvard parephenalia and start every sentence with "when i was at harvard..."
Click to expand...

That guy is the best :laugh:

I do have to add: Would I be allowed to wear a stethoscope even though I don't use it? Ever?
 
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greater_omentum said:
i think PD's must find a certain kind of pleasure in telling gunner med students things like this to freak them out...
Click to expand...
That's true. Same with med schools scaring kids about their MCAT cutoffs... turns out there was a VERY large range of MCAT scores in my class!
 
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SDN self-selects likes crazy. People who get a 200 tend not to post it and brag about it.

240 is awesome. Like someone said, only on SDN is that not going to impress people. The chatter on SDN makes people think that getting one standard deviation above the mean on Step1 is just a matter of having the right combo of books and a good schedule. It's not. It requires a level of natural ability.

But guess what, it's not the end of the world if you can't get "Honors" on boards. If you get a 220+ you're probably going to be fine for most specialties as long as you get good advice and apply to lots of places.
 
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Oh thank god people live in reality not over-achiever fantasy land. I'm so sick of hearing I HAVE to make a 240+ to get into a radiology residency. If one test score negates three years of quality work then the system is seriously f*cked. All you have to do is look at the match data from last year to see the average Step 1 score for matching and you realize it's not a 240. It's very competitive, yes, and sure you want to make yourself a strong candidate but I don't think anyone should be put off from doing something because they "ONLY" have a 230 or whatever. Bull****, and shame on people who perpetuate these stereotypes or who try to discourage young individuals from following their interests. We as a medical community should do more to encourage, but at the same time be realistic. If some one is not cut out to for a certain specialty, then yes they should be guided in another direction. This same thing happened in our pre-med committee where bright, devoted students were belittled and made to feel inadequate or weak because they only had a 28 MCAT and a 3.7 GPA. They were told they would Never get into medical school, and you know what a lot of people gave up hope of becoming doctors. I can't believe I ever bought into the collective mentality that you have to be at the absolute pinnacle of medical students to get a chance at a decent residency.
 
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greater_omentum said:
i think PD's must find a certain kind of pleasure in telling gunner med students things like this to freak them out...

a quick glance at that "Charting outcomes in the match" document that's floating around is pretty revealing- aside from a handful of residency programs, a 215 will not hold you back, much less a 220, 230 or higher.

according to last year's report, 90% of us grads applying to rads with less than a 220 on step 1 got in. they probably ranked a lot of programs, worked hard on away rotations, maybe did research, maybe they weren't a complete tool and easy to work with.

so yeah, relax...besides, if you don't get a 250+ step1 and integrated plastics at partners, you can always do gsurg residency at some random place, do a 1 yr breast fellowship at harvard, get a tv show, wear harvard parephenalia and start every sentence with "when i was at harvard..."
Click to expand...

never said you coudln't match into rads without a 99, just dont plan to at the rads department over here. just the way it is.
 
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