Grades vs Board Scores

[jhrugger]

granted there is probably a strong correlation between first/second year grades and board scores, but besides that, are first/second year grades looked at as an independent factor?

or will a high board score cover the "competency" factor, "oh this guy knows his basic science really well based on the board score, doesn't really matter if he had a 3.5 in his basic science coursework"

Thanks for any perspective you may be able to share

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[Megalofyia]

Along with this question... does anyone have any antidotal stories of someone who was able to recover from a low anatomy grade and get into a competitive residency?

 

[Blake]

Along with this question... does anyone have any antidotal stories of someone who was able to recover from a low anatomy grade and get into a competitive residency?

You mean anecdotal ? Yea, I have a story. It went like this : the first and 2nd year grades mean squat compared to clinical grades, letter of recommendations, research and a few electives. Maybe it's totally different where I'm from, but I remember a NS attending (PD at the time) saying to our class, in a neurology lecture, that he and his colleagues really couldn't care less about pre-clinical performance, as long as you don't fail and long as you're good when it matters the most.

 

[Wrigleyville]

No one cares about your 1st/2nd year grades. If they were so bad you had to repeat a year it might raise concerns, but otherwise they don't warrant so much as a glance.

 

[kenneth.c.liu]

i echo the above sentiments. in fact, i failed a course during my first year (nutrition, of all things). no one even mentioned it during my interviews.

i matched at my top choice.

 

[cdql]

i don't have the link with me but there is a correlation between 1st and 2nd year grades and your board scores (those are important!)

for some schools, aoa status is conveyed based on those grades

so all in all, while residency programs don't consider them to be very important criteria, i think your performance in years 1 and 2 will still contribute to criteria that are more important