How does SFMatch report Step 1?

[rocketbooster]

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It's my understanding that the AAMC no longer submits the 2 digit score to residencies. While I was reading this Iowa Ophtho Residency Guide (http://webeye.ophth.uiowa.edu/eyeforum/tutorials/Iowa-Guide-to-the-Ophthalmology-Match.pdf), it says you can avoid paying the $70 for AAMC to submit your Step 1 score to SFMatch if you just send a copy of your original pdf score to SFmatch yourself.

My concern is that the original pdf they sent me also has the 2-digit score. Assuming AAMC does not send the 2-digit score to SFmatch since residencies supposedly no longer see it, I don't want to risk sending my own pdf with the 2-digit score and have SFmatch include it on my app. I don't want it included because I'm afraid of some programs using it as a percentile. That's the whole reason AAMC stopped sending the 2-digit score in the last year or two to residencies because some misinformed programs were using it as a percentile. They didn't all realize you could get a 99 with a 250+ and a 99 with a 225. I didn't believe programs were that uninformed until I met with my ophtho chair and he surprisingly also thought it was a percentile. Even after I explained to him that it wasn't, he didn't seem to grasp what I just told him and said "imagine how good of a candidate someone is with a 99." Considering he's been doing this for years and years, that makes me think many good applicants may have been overlooked haha. I'm sure this happens at other programs too, so I want to avoid submitting that 2-digit score at all costs. Yes I would pay $70 if that's the only way to leave it off haha.

So, for recent applicants, how was your Step 1 recorded by SFmatch? Was the 2-digit score there? Did you pay AAMC to send it or did you send your own pdf?

 

[OPPforlife]

You over thinking this. I don't think there is a way you can avoid disclosing your 2 digit score since the profile on SF match asks you for your 3 digit and 2 digit score. Unless, you plan on leaving the 2 digit score field blank...which is a BAD idea I don't see why your even worried about it. Also, I have never heard of the AAMC option while I was applying. I think that holds true for ERAS but for SF match you gotta send your copy. save the 70 dollars and apply to two extra programs.

Now to make you feel better Rocketbooster, I remember you saying your step one is in 240's? high 230's? either way your going to be fine. My .02 apply broad, Very broad. Apply at all tiers and lots of different geographical locations. You will be fine. I predict you will get 7-8 maybe even 10 interviews and will match well.

 

[rocketbooster]

You over thinking this. I don't think there is a way you can avoid disclosing your 2 digit score since the profile on SF match asks you for your 3 digit and 2 digit score. Unless, you plan on leaving the 2 digit score field blank...which is a BAD idea I don't see why your even worried about it. Also, I have never heard of the AAMC option while I was applying. I think that holds true for ERAS but for SF match you gotta send your copy. save the 70 dollars and apply to two extra programs.

Now to make you feel better Rocketbooster, I remember you saying your step one is in 240's? high 230's? either way your going to be fine. My .02 apply broad, Very broad. Apply at all tiers and lots of different geographical locations. You will be fine. I predict you will get 7-8 maybe even 10 interviews and will match well.

I see. Based on what you're saying, reporting only the 3-digit score only happens with ERAS then. That was the context I heard it. Looks like SFmatch doesn't and will continue to allow some of the misinformed to assume the 2-digit score is a percentile lol. Ah well, thanks for the clarification!

 

[hurdlepup]

The 2 digit score was misinterpreted on my interview trail... I did much better on Step 2 than Step 1, but was congratulated on doing so well getting a 99 on Step 1. Didn't really matter and I didn't bother with an explanation on behalf of the NMBE for their general idiocy.

 

[eyeloveeyez]

You over thinking this. I don't think there is a way you can avoid disclosing your 2 digit score since the profile on SF match asks you for your 3 digit and 2 digit score. Unless, you plan on leaving the 2 digit score field blank...which is a BAD idea I don't see why your even worried about it. Also, I have never heard of the AAMC option while I was applying. I think that holds true for ERAS but for SF match you gotta send your copy. save the 70 dollars and apply to two extra programs.

Now to make you feel better Rocketbooster, I remember you saying your step one is in 240's? high 230's? either way your going to be fine. My .02 apply broad, Very broad. Apply at all tiers and lots of different geographical locations. You will be fine. I predict you will get 7-8 maybe even 10 interviews and will match well.

I did not include my two digit score on SF Match this past year and my dean is the one that advised this for the same reasons that have been described. I have no reason to believe this negatively affected my match.

 

[rocketbooster]

I did not include my two digit score on SF Match this past year and my dean is the one that advised this for the same reasons that have been described. I have no reason to believe this negatively affected my match.

Interesting. What did you submit though since you have to give them an official copy? My PDF I have has it on there so I would think they would automatically add it. Or do you enter your score yourself, mark unknown for 2 digit score and then just have AAMC send their version as proof? I just want to know exactly what you did so I can pull it off too.

 

[rocketbooster]

The 2 digit score was misinterpreted on my interview trail... I did much better on Step 2 than Step 1, but was congratulated on doing so well getting a 99 on Step 1. Didn't really matter and I didn't bother with an explanation on behalf of the NMBE for their general idiocy.

Yea see for me I got a pretty good step 1 but my 2 digit score is an 85. I'm not letting them screw me forget that. I'm just wondering if they'll trash my app out of suspicion when I put "unknown..."

 

[kwel]

Yea see for me I got a pretty good step 1 but my 2 digit score is an 85. I'm not letting them screw me forget that. I'm just wondering if they'll trash my app out of suspicion when I put "unknown..."

everyone's score is like that now. If someone has a 265/90 do you think they'll trash it because they think it's "only a 90th percentile"? If they don't already know they'll start to get the hint after they see a couple hundred apps with the new 2-digit score

 

[dantt]

strange...that 2 digit score usually does not correlate with a 3 digit score in the 230's...did things change?

 

[rocketbooster]

everyone's score is like that now. If someone has a 265/90 do you think they'll trash it because they think it's "only a 90th percentile"? If they don't already know they'll start to get the hint after they see a couple hundred apps with the new 2-digit score

I think you're giving them too much credit. If they cant figure out it's not a percentile on their own, do you think they'll forget out any trend in the newer 2 digit scoring? They think the 2 digit score is the only comparable score year after year. So they'll probably see 265/90 and just think we're a weaker applicant class than previous years lol.

strange...that 2 digit score usually does not correlate with a 3 digit score in the 230's...did things change?

Yea I think they actually somewhat scaled it now but idk for sure. Based on last year's 2 digit scores reported on SDN, it did seem higher scores did correlate with higher 2 digit scores. It's still not a percentile though so I can't tell you what it means. It seemed ~240 was consistently ~85.

 

[TheHero]

In a new announcement at USMLE website (updated march 13), the 2-digit score reporting is no longer! They say starting april 1 2013. So does anyone know that if we took step 1 before that and request a new score report now, will we get it without the 2-digit score?