Guys today is the saddest day of my life ;(

[joeeey]

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I got my result today for step 2 Ck and i failed the exam my score was 72% and the three digit 175.

I had gone to so many nice interviews and had worked so hard for all this, now it feels as if someone had pulled the Earth under my feet. As you all know applying for residency, travel to interviews, the expense of all the exams i am totally exhusted now ;(, , , and out of money

Guys i need your help, what should i do now?should I pull out of the match and call my programs about this terrible news? I had never felt so miserable in my life as i am doing rightnow ;(n the match is coming up in march and there is no time for me to retake and have my result by than.

My step2 CS result should be coming this week as well, is it possible that i stay in the match and retake my exam in a month? pls anyone who can help me pls pls Help.

 

[HAM2]

Don't pull out of the match, just retake the exam as soon as you can (after re-studying) and you will have passed it before residency starts. Of course, you should consult your dean or someone at your school but if I were you I would just repeat it and not get out of the match

 

[kinetic]

You don't need to pass Step II to participate in the Match or to Match into residencies. You just need to pass it prior to starting your residency, although many schools also require that you pass it to graduate (some don't). Take it again. Good luck.

 

[PTP]

I got my result today for step 2 Ck and i failed the exam my score was 72% and the three digit 175. I pls anyone who can help me pls pls Help.

Hey man I am really sorry to hear what happened. First and formost, dont let this make you feel like you wont be as good, or better, a doc then the next person. There are a lot of really incredible physicians and students who, for whatever reason, just arent the best test-takers.

Well about what you could do, I would defently try to retake it soon. Worst case scenerio, if you have to drop out of the match maybe you can be ready for the scramble?? I dont know what you were interviewing for but there are a lot of open positions out there after the match, especally for primary care fields. And even after the scramble is "officially" over, open spots still actually exist up to even June/July. Just dont rush in and re-take it though. You should really look at what you need to improve in and re-focus your studying there. If its the multiple choice format you feel you need more work on then hit the practice questions hard.
Good luck with everything and sorry again about the bad news.
Peace.

 

[Jeff05]

do NOT drop out of the match!!! you just have to pass step 2 before you graduate. plenty of time. i would sign up with Kaplan for their intense prep or an equivalent. yea, it sucks, but dude, i gotta tell you if there is one huge test to fail without any damage it's step 2 (not 1 or mcat or whatever).

btw, what did you get on step 1?

[

 

[nycIMdoc]

I am terribly sorry to hear about your news.

First question: Did you release your score??? If not, they wont found out cos' my friend also did it last year. Step 1 = 210 and failed Step 2 = 171. He matched at his second choice for IM. All he did was retake CK 60 days later and he got 218 on the second attempt. He eventually had to explain his score to his program, but he is working there and he is happy.

If you release you score, you should contact your Dean or Chairman of medicine. If your Step 1 is good and 3rd year clerkship grades are good, someone may want to make a phone call on your behalf and hopefully you will match where you want.

Please take one thing at a time and do not lose faith.

 

[joeeey]

i haven't released my score to the programs yet, that is why i wanted to know if I should or not contact them?

I got a 85 score on step1 and i know i passed my step2 CS.

so what should i do rightnow? just study and retake my exam as soon as possible and don't say anything to the programs where i had interviewed ?wouldn't they want to know my score before they would rank me?

I just signed up for my step2 again for april-june slot, I have done everything i can for my prep and was scoring really good with all of the exams i.e Q book 74% Usmle world 62% Mock exam 76% NMS 73%. I used mostly Kaplan notes and Crush the boards for step 2, what else should i do ? any advise?

I am so thankful to all of you guys, you guys have given me some hope may GOd bless you all.

 

[joedogma]

Do not pull out of the match! While you may feel stupid right now you were smart to take it when you did. You have plenty of time to take it before graduation and if you didn't send the scores, this will be a non-issue for the match. I don't think you are obligated to inform the programs of your situation unless they ask. As far as I know, only residencies in NH require passing step 2 in order to match. My advice is to reschedule immediately (unless you really feel unprepared) and get it over with. You were probably just having an off day. Come July you will start residency and no one will care about your step 2. By all means, don't withdraw from the match!

 

[nycIMdoc]

i haven't released my score to the programs yet, that is why i wanted to know if I should or not contact them?

I got a 85 score on step1 and i know i passed my step2 CS.

so what should i do rightnow? just study and retake my exam as soon as possible and don't say anything to the programs where i had interviewed ?wouldn't they want to know my score before they would rank me?

I just signed up for my step2 again for april-june slot, I have done everything i can for my prep and was scoring really good with all of the exams i.e Q book 74% Usmle world 62% Mock exam 76% NMS 73%. I used mostly Kaplan notes and Crush the boards for step 2, what else should i do ? any advise?

I am so thankful to all of you guys, you guys have given me some hope may GOd bless you all.

Joeeey:

IF YOU DID NOT RELEASE YOUR SCORE, YOU ARE SAFE. I CAN REASSURE YOU THE PROGRAMS WILL NOT FIND OUT UNTIL YOU MATCH. GO AHEAD AND SEND OUT YOUR RANK LIST, and you DO NOT NEED TO CONTACT ANY PROGRAMS.

If you have doubt, please go to your Dean of student and confirm, and they will tell you the same thing.

The materials that you used were very good. I think you may be using too much. Use Kaplan notes for Ob, Surgery and Peds, First Aid for Psy and NMS for medicine and read them 3 times. Redo USMLEWORLD bank twice and study the explanation THOROUGHLY. You will do very well.

Please breathe and relax. You are fine.

 

[Jeff05]

how many times did you read Crush? how long did you study for?

try to think back to your exam day...
did anything happen that would explain the discrepancy between your prep and the scores? did you have a hard time focusing, or skipped over too many questions without really thinking?

sorry for all the qs, but just trying to figure out what happened before i give any advice on studying. it doesn't make sense that you would fail with the scores you were getting on the prep stuff.

 

[DocWagner]

I have friends that did not pass step 2 and matched into some damn fine residencies...you will do just fine. ANd if this is the saddest day of your life, consider yourself lucky.

 

[SLUsagar]

i haven't released my score to the programs yet, that is why i wanted to know if I should or not contact them?

I got a 85 score on step1 and i know i passed my step2 CS.

so what should i do rightnow? just study and retake my exam as soon as possible and don't say anything to the programs where i had interviewed ?wouldn't they want to know my score before they would rank me?

I just signed up for my step2 again for april-june slot, I have done everything i can for my prep and was scoring really good with all of the exams i.e Q book 74% Usmle world 62% Mock exam 76% NMS 73%. I used mostly Kaplan notes and Crush the boards for step 2, what else should i do ? any advise?

I am so thankful to all of you guys, you guys have given me some hope may GOd bless you all.

agreed w/above statements...as long as you didn't release scores you're safe (if you did...well, you might be screwed). BUT it seems you didn't so your set.
study, and re-take exams.

ps, u said you got a step 1 of 85.... what is that in the THREE DIGIT score????

 

[joeeey]

I have signed up for my step2 Ck again and the only earliest slot i got was april-June.

Thinking back on what had happened, first i was running out of time and had to rush at the end of first two blocks, i don't know why i was rushing in the end? cause i have done all my practice exam in timed format.

I know one thing that their is nothing that one can do to prepare for the real exam! i felt lots of the question were striaght forward than again not really! after the exam i felt that i did really well even better than the step1 exam ;(

Second the evaluation on back of my result shows that i really screwed up in phyciatry, i never liked phyciatry but had never thought that i was weak in the subject, if that would of been the case i would of known with all of my practice exams.

so any advise anyone?
This is what i am thinking of doing now, reading crush step2 again plus First Aid step 2(do you know which is the latest edition these days?) and doing Kaplan q bank plus usmleworld. What do you guys think? is that enough? as for when i am planning on giving the exam i think first week of April should be fine.

once agian thank you for being there for me and giving me some hope

 

[LADoc00]

Are you serious?? This is NOTHING. Retake the exam and move on. You will forget this in no time. Come back and post when the saddest day of your life is the day some patient accuses you of inappropriate touching and your medical license is suspended, your wife leaves you and you are living in some dump motel with only good ole Capt. Morgan to tell your problems to.

Sheeshh. it may see like alot night, but its similiar to when I was 12 and didnt make the honor roll, yeah I cried for days.

 

[sohsie]

This is a very appropriate time to invoke my golden rule:

It is always better to apologize than to ask permission.

Dont tell anyone about Step 2, go match somewhere, and take it and pass it ASAP. If you are forced to explain yourself, do so after the match lists have been certified when the program can't drop you without violating the match rules. They'll get over it.

 

[kinetic]

It is always better to apologize than to ask permission.

Man, I hope you get the brown end of that rule some day.

 

[MD'05]

This is a very appropriate time to invoke my golden rule:

It is always better to apologize than to ask permission.

Dont tell anyone about Step 2, go match somewhere, and take it and pass it ASAP. If you are forced to explain yourself, do so after the match lists have been certified when the program can't drop you without violating the match rules. They'll get over it.

From what I understand, many programs do not rank without the step 2 score anyway, so it's kind of moot.

 

[sohsie]

Man, I hope you get the brown end of that rule some day.

I'm glad that you are open with your jealousy. It is the first step in healing

 

[kinetic]

I'm glad that you are open with your jealousy. It is the first step in healing

Wow, you have to be a simpleton if you think your rule only applies when it benefits you.

 

[mailee88]

Didn't get a chance to read all the posts, but my ONE advice (if not already posted) would be to read USMLE SECRETS...this is a VERY easy book to read...probably will take u <1 week if you are hardcore...and it is AMAZING...I know plenty of ppl from my school who ONLY studied that book and did great...Good luck!! Just remember that what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger...and everything happens for a reason...all will be okay in the end...in 15 years from now, this won't even matter!! You'll do great!! Read SECRETS and do lots of QUESTIONS!!

 

[b&ierstiefel]

I did Kaplan Q-book...all 800 (or 850) questions in it. I highly recommend that you do a lot of questions...I spent about 90% of my time doing questions and skimmed Crush Step 2 over 2 days after finishing all the questions. The Kaplan questions are kinda hard so if you get a lot wrong, don't fret...just make sure you read the explanations.

 

[sohsie]

Wow, you have to be a simpleton if you think your rule only applies when it benefits you.

I'm amazed that you are able to post so quickly without first asking "Mother may I?" from the moderator for every post 😉 Wouldn't want to be on the brown end, after all

 

[hello23]

1) absolutely no need to tell program about it, otherwise, you bet then it will be you real saddest day in your life so far. No written rule require you to tell, and that's why there was an option to release score or not, right?
2) pretend nothing happen, don't tell your classmates (you bet some fcuker will try to screw ppl over)
3) study only secret and usmleworld. Concentrate on only 1 or 2 books. You will be fine.
4) don't need to tell program after the match. Just take your test again, pass it, and wait..if they ask about it, then explain what happens that test day.

BUT if you are an IMG, then you just can't match this year. are you?

 

[Jeff05]

ok, the best thing to do is to do a Kaplan or PR course for step 2 (they will make sure you pass). but, if you can't afford it, or don't have a center near you, then...

i would concentrate your efforts on ONE source. secrets is good, it's basically a text version of Crush. so pick one. i really liked Crush. read it at least 3 times. take notes on it if you have to. pay attention to the psych section.

do qbank - 100%. wake up every morning and do 100 questions. carefully read the explanation to the ones you got wrong - and write down the right answers.

there is a partial practice exam on the nbme site - it's 45 bucks. take it.

that should be enough to pass. good luck.

Didn't get a chance to read all the posts, but my ONE advice (if not already posted) would be to read USMLE SECRETS...this is a VERY easy book to read...probably will take u <1 week if you are hardcore...and it is AMAZING...I know plenty of ppl from my school who ONLY studied that book and did great...Good luck!! Just remember that what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger...and everything happens for a reason...all will be okay in the end...in 15 years from now, this won't even matter!! You'll do great!! Read SECRETS and do lots of QUESTIONS!!

 

[neilc]

... I have done everything i can for my prep and was scoring really good with all of the exams i.e Q book 74% Usmle world 62% Mock exam 76% NMS 73%...

uh, this makes me nervous...i am getting 63% on my usmleworld qbank, and was pretty convinced that would strongly correlate with at least a pass...and hopefully up near the mean!

anybody else have issues with the exam after doing relatively well on usmleworld? 😱

 

[joeeey]

Jeff to answer your question if i can afford it i would love to do kaplan ? man i am flat broke after all the interviews and travel. On top these exams are not cheap ;( i have to study on my own i always have and have never attended any courses.

I have done scerets it is a very good book i loved it, but i think crush was better cause it is the newer edition 2003 vs secrets 2000.

What do you guys think about first aid step2? any experience with this book? like i said in my early post i am thinkin of doing first aid and kaplan q bank and doing extra question on phyciatry from usmle world. i think this should be enough don't you think guys?

should i read kaplan books all over again as well or just stick with this plan cause of time restraint?

 

[cardiologydude]

I would focus on psychiatry, especially how to spell it. Man, it is hard to imagine an US med school graduate who cannot spell psychiatry. Better to correct it now than to be laughed at by other doctors reading your progress notes.

😀

As far as the exam goes: Do Kaplan Q bank. I will sell you for $30.

 

[kas23]

Step 2 is all about doing questions, more questions, and then even more...well, I think you get it. Sign up for usmleworld. The questions are fantastic (but hard) and it is a lot cheaper than kaplan (if you are on a budget). Otherwise, don't submit your score, chill out & have fun on match day, and then take it over.

 

[beriberi]

Money should be no consideration: rack up the debt or beg, borrow or steal to do what is right. A few thousand may seem like a lot right now, but it is a lot less than the 40,000 you will lose by forgoing a year of residency, the 5K you will lose in having to reapply next year and the xx,000 you will start paying on your loans next year. Spend what it takes.

Me, I blew Step I, so I worked pretty hard on #2. I did the Pre-test clinical vignettes, and physical exam books, spents some time getting to know MKSAP, OB/gyn blue prints and brs, psych brs, and re-read (well mostly for the frist time) that pretty surgery book with the anatomy painting on the cover. I also did NMS 600? and First Aid.

A recommendation. Think what worked for each shelf exam for you--or what you think you should have done to prepare, in retrospect. The people who write the shelves write Step II, so if you prepare well for the shelves you can prepare well for step II.

Of all that I listed above, I think First Aid was the biggest waste of time. With the above prep, my score went up 38 points.

 

[Brass_Monkey]

I got my result today for step 2 Ck and i failed the exam my score was 72% and the three digit 175.

I had gone to so many nice interviews and had worked so hard for all this, now it feels as if someone had pulled the Earth under my feet. As you all know applying for residency, travel to interviews, the expense of all the exams i am totally exhusted now ;(, , , and out of money

Guys i need your help, what should i do now?should I pull out of the match and call my programs about this terrible news? I had never felt so miserable in my life as i am doing rightnow ;(n the match is coming up in march and there is no time for me to retake and have my result by than.

My step2 CS result should be coming this week as well, is it possible that i stay in the match and retake my exam in a month? pls anyone who can help me pls pls Help.

Failure! If you had studied, you wouldn't have failed. Sounds harsh, but I wouldn't want you working on my dog if you don't have enough motivation to buck down and study. Cry all you want, but I'm sure if you take a long, hard look at your preparation you'd see that it was inadequate. Why?

 

[erichaj]

Don't drop out of the match.

Even if you are an FMG and they might ask for step 2 before they rank you.

Study hard, take it again.

They did a study at my residency years ago, It was to see if board scores were relevance to being a good doctor.

The answer was simple. NO. That score has lots of meanings. You are a bad test taker. you had a bad day, you english is poor. I don't know. But It just means you have to work harder.

Good luck,

EH.

 

[drgirl]

Don't drop out of the match--but be aware that if you're an IMG, you CAN'T hide that fact that you won't be certified before the ROL deadline. The NRMP and ECFMG communicate with each other during the interview season and if you're not certified by the deadline, they will automatically withdraw you from the match. I'm really sorry about your situation--but there is no way to hide it from the ECFMG....However, you can still try scrambling for a spot....just inform any programs you contact that you will be taking Step 2 in April/May and you expect to be certified by then. There will be some programs that need to fill their spots and would take a chance on someone not being certified yet. What residency are you applying for? If it comes down to the scramble, you might have to go for something that wasn't what you were interviewing for.
Are you an IMG?? If you're a US grad, that whole paragraph doesn't apply to you--just stay in the match then and follow some of the advice above.
Good luck......

 

[joeeey]

i am a US grad



thanks everyone, i have already picked up my step2 stuff again 🙁

does anyone have any experience on first aid step2??

or you think i should stick to crush step2 or secrets?

 

[scootad.]

I used First Aid step 2 supplemented with Boards and Wards and did all of qbank. I thought it was very helpful. I got 245.

 

[HAM2]

I think you should choose one or two sources and do many questions. It's better to re-read and know all the info from one source than to get confused with many different books and not be sure of anything, what I did was read Kaplan and secrets and I did qbank, qbook(couldn't finish this one) and the nbme practice exam, (just divide the # of questions by the days you have but don't do less than 50/day and increase the amount progressively)

Even if many people recommend different books, DONT use them all, choose 1 or 2 sources only and don't fall into the temptation of checking out the other books as you go along.

Exito!

 

[bignursemd]

Failure! If you had studied, you wouldn't have failed. Sounds harsh, but I wouldn't want you working on my dog if you don't have enough motivation to buck down and study. Cry all you want, but I'm sure if you take a long, hard look at your preparation you'd see that it was inadequate. Why?

Are you kidding me! my friend you have as much tact as a rock--- I really don't think that failing an exam is any reason to give up, or relinquish all that you have worked for....and as for Brass_Monkey's dog, maybe he or she should take it elsewhere......
just my two cents

 

[monstermatch]

What worked for me:
All the platinum clinical vignettes I could get my hands on
Secrets for step 2
NMS questions (I did about a third)
Kaplan Qbank (I did half)
Brushed up on minor weak spots with various BRS/recall from the library (eg cards, surgical subspecialties)

I would say no to first aid and yes to either secrets or crush - just do one or the other.

Be sure you know how to answer questions about surgical trauma, pregnancy emergencies, and peds emergencies (personally I had a ton of ob).

Finally, don't omit the random stuff that you might not have covered much in med school, especially surgical subspecialties - e.g. know your ortho trauma, ophthy emergencies, and incontinence.

 

[Pili]

i haven't released my score to the programs yet, that is why i wanted to know if I should or not contact them?

I got a 85 score on step1 and i know i passed my step2 CS.

so what should i do rightnow? just study and retake my exam as soon as possible and don't say anything to the programs where i had interviewed ?wouldn't they want to know my score before they would rank me?

I just signed up for my step2 again for april-june slot, I have done everything i can for my prep and was scoring really good with all of the exams i.e Q book 74% Usmle world 62% Mock exam 76% NMS 73%. I used mostly Kaplan notes and Crush the boards for step 2, what else should i do ? any advise?

I am so thankful to all of you guys, you guys have given me some hope may GOd bless you all.

You don't need to tell the programs, if you did not release the scores. It's just life as usual. Most likely they won't ask before the match. Once matched, just take it again. Someone gave great advice about a Kaplan accelerated course. Your score is low enough that you run a risk of failing again unless you spend some serious time and effort preparing. Don't let money deter you, this is not the time to save. With concentration and one of those courses, you should do well. You might take one month to prepare and put off rotations. Good luck.

 

[red11]

the same thing happened to me in september, i didn't pass by 3 "points" (or whatever the score means). i spent the 8 weeks I had in between studying whenever i could, even weekends. doing practice questions were the biggest help for me. i ditched kaplan and used the old pencil and paper method. perhaps since you are on a budget you could borrow q books from friends or check them out from the library. hope this helps. you are not alone, that was a depressing day for me as well.

 

[shellfish]

if residency programs eventually see your step 2 score even if you don't do an automatic re-transit? or do they just see that you passed? my step 2 score was much lower than step 1...will anyone know but me?

 

[Blade28]

I'd think that if you took the test and passed, eventually, your residency program will know your score.

 

[YEAH]

I need some advice. I read the OP's story regarding Step 2CK--well, I am very
sorry to hear that. I say this as someone who it has just happened to this year...I have failed Step 2 CK. But I have an added wrinkle: I failed Step 2 CS--and it wasn't because I didn't do a good job. I suspect hand written notes are a bad idea when your handwriting is as good as mine...So now I hardly know what to do. I've done most of my interviews now--so what will I tell them!!?? Or should I even tell them that I failed??? Most people have been clear on this to date, but what if you are given marching orders by your dean to tell the programs what has happened? What then??


I hope everything works out for the OP (joeeey). If anyone who has gone through this painful process around matchtime, please teach me what you know about handling the politics of this test if you would. I would definitely tell others to get Step 2 out of the way early in MSIV. That way if you do fail (G-d forbid), you could at least come back and take the test before match--and therefore have no dillemas about telling/not telling programs where you stand. Fortunately (I suppose at least it allows me the luxury of some options now), I did not release the score to the Residencies automatically on ERAS. Now that I have learned that I have failed, if I tell the places I have interviewed about my Step 2 disaster, I bet they will say bye-bye to my spot on the rank list.

On the other hand, should I tell no one and get into a program, then there remains the chance that I will still fail on retake (HEAVEN FORBID!!!)--and then the Residency will be out of a Resident?? (unless I can retake the test before July 1st again!?)--and my dean may crack down on me for not having told the Residency and thereby making the school look bad. I don't know how, but maybe someone else here has been in a similar situation and can share what they've learned??

I know I could even remove myself from the match for the year, do research or something of the ilk, and thereafter reapply next year. I really don't want to stop now, though--I think I'll only get rusty and forget even more.

I guess there are many other options..I could call the programs and beg for their understanding ("I couldn't sleep on account of anxiety", "I was ill", "I did well but submitted one block too early mistaking the time remaining"...etc and blah blah blah).

Well, what is the best thing I could do in the situation is the question I come to you all with. Your response means more to me than you may know--thank you for your time. I hope everything has worked out for the best for anyone who has gone through this. Has ANYONE actually failed both!!?? (and willing to admit it?). I look forward to placing any jackasses who might take this as an invitation to bash onto my ignore list; my apologies to the rest of you for having to even mention this in advance (but when you swim with sharks...that's what you get at the smell of blood) .

Sincerely,
YEAH

 

[BKN]

I'm sorry to hear of your problem. I can't give you an answer as to what you should do, but as a PD I have a few reactions:

1. You may be at a school that does not require passage to get the diploma (or not). So you may or may not be able to begin residency if you haven't passed by the time July comes around. See your dean's office.

2. If you suppress this info and match, be prepared for a very angry PD when it comes out.

3. I think your fears abou the match are very reasonable. I could not justify ranking an applicant who failed both CK and CS. If your going for a less competitive specialty it might be OK.

4. Your application in the ERAS may indicate the dates that you took the tests. An alert PD would pay attention to the fact tht the results don't show up.

Good luck.

 

[Solideliquid]

BKN-

I may be wrong about this, but if you have not passed step 2 ck and cs by Feb. 22 isn't an applicant removed from the match? At least that's what would happen to an IMG.

 

[BKN]

BKN-

I may be wrong about this, but if you have not passed step 2 ck and cs by Feb. 22 isn't an applicant removed from the match? At least that's what would happen to an IMG.

News to me. I don't know.

 

[Miklos]

News to me. I don't know.

http://www.nrmp.org/res_match/faq/ind_apps_faq.html#7

What does ECFMG Status NOT VERIFIED mean? After the initial registration deadline of December 1st, the NRMP contacts ECFMG® periodically before the rank order list deadline to verify whether graduates/students of international medical schools and Fifth Pathway program applicants have passed the required exams. If your status is NOT VERIFIED, ECFMG® has not yet confirmed that you have passed all exams necessary for ECFMG® certification. To be able to participate in the NRMP Match, ECFMG® must verify your exam status, NOT your ECFMG® certification status by the rank order list deadline.

http://www.ecfmg.org/2006ib/ibgrad.html#nrmp

Students/graduates of international medical schools and Fifth Pathway programs must have passed all exams necessary for ECFMG Certification (see Examination Requirements), and the results must be reported to the NRMP in time to participate in the Match. The NRMP will contact ECFMG directly to confirm that you have passed the necessary exams. After the rank order list deadline, the NRMP will automatically withdraw applicants who have not passed the necessary examinations; however, applicants who are withdrawn still will have access to the list of unfilled positions that is made available during Match Week.

 

[Solideliquid]

Thaaaaats it, thanks!

 

[sophee]

I got my result today for step 2 Ck and i failed the exam my score was 72% and the three digit 175.

I had gone to so many nice interviews and had worked so hard for all this, now it feels as if someone had pulled the Earth under my feet. As you all know applying for residency, travel to interviews, the expense of all the exams i am totally exhusted now ;(, , , and out of money

Guys i need your help, what should i do now?should I pull out of the match and call my programs about this terrible news? I had never felt so miserable in my life as i am doing rightnow ;(n the match is coming up in march and there is no time for me to retake and have my result by than.

My step2 CS result should be coming this week as well, is it possible that i stay in the match and retake my exam in a month? pls anyone who can help me pls pls Help.

Hi,
I'm sorry that you are going through this. I know how you feel, I failed my step I and it was terrible. But, don't give up hope, you will be fine. Please don't take the exam, take your time. YOu don't want to take the chance, you must pass the second time. I'm being honest, it's very important for you to pass the exam. Forget about the match, and the whole med student crazy non sense drama. It's OK if you miss the match, but it's not ok to fail the second time. If you take the test soon, how well will you be prepared? Please take some time off, forget about the match, and study hard and then take the test. You will go through the match next year, but please don't do this to you self.

 

[Sohalia]

BKN-

I may be wrong about this, but if you have not passed step 2 ck and cs by Feb. 22 isn't an applicant removed from the match? At least that's what would happen to an IMG.

Miklos talks about IMGs further up, but for US grads, nope, not at all. Duke students regularly take step 2 ck around late March. CS has only been around a little while, but it seems like we're taking it around the same time.

 

[pdintheusa]

I'm sorry to hear of your problem. I can't give you an answer as to what you should do, but as a PD I have a few reactions:

1. You may be at a school that does not require passage to get the diploma (or not). So you may or may not be able to begin residency if you haven't passed by the time July comes around. See your dean's office.

2. If you suppress this info and match, be prepared for a very angry PD when it comes out.

3. I think your fears abou the match are very reasonable. I could not justify ranking an applicant who failed both CK and CS. If your going for a less competitive specialty it might be OK.

4. Your application in the ERAS may indicate the dates that you took the tests. An alert PD would pay attention to the fact tht the results don't show up.

Good luck.

As another PD, I agree wholeheartedly. If applicants only have taken Step 1, we do review the cover page in ERAS to see when they listed they will take Step 2.

If it says 10/2005, for example, it does raise the issue; though of course we have no way of knowing if the applicant simply delayed the exam or is intentionally suppressing their score.

I also wish the OP good luck.