if i take step 2 in June, can i withhold my score from ERAS?

[Magillicutty]

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for instance, if i took step 2 in june and got 20pts below my step 1, i'd want to withhold it. could i do so without penalty or appearing like i'm hiding something when programs are choosing who to interview?

i know this begs the question why i'd take it so early if i was afraid of scoring worse, but i just want to know how it works.

 

[p30doc]

eras has a box to check for each program you apply to that says something like send usmle transcript. It will send all of your scores that were available when eras initially/ last downloaded your transcript. If you don't select to download future scores when they become available then anything that is released after the initial download won't be sent to programs unless you manually click to update your scores.

 

[Trastuz]

for instance, if i took step 2 in june and got 20pts below my step 1, i'd want to withhold it. could i do so without penalty or appearing like i'm hiding something when programs are choosing who to interview?

i know this begs the question why i'd take it so early if i was afraid of scoring worse, but i just want to know how it works.

No. When you submit ERAS, you indicate whether you want USMLE to send your transcript to schools or not. You cannot choose to send Step 1 but not Step 2. And everyone will need your Step 1, so you will have to release your transcript, automatically including any other step scores on file. If you take Step 2 two weeks before you submit ERAS, they shouldn't have your score and you can check the box not to re-transmit unless you choose to do so. Programs cannot tell if you checked the box or not (I asked a PD).

So if you did well on Step 1 and think there's any chance you might do worse on Step 2, I think it's a good idea to wait until at least a week or two before you plan on finalizing ERAS so you don't hurt yourself.

 

[Stellar Clouds]

for instance, if i took step 2 in june and got 20pts below my step 1, i'd want to withhold it. could i do so without penalty or appearing like i'm hiding something when programs are choosing who to interview?

i know this begs the question why i'd take it so early if i was afraid of scoring worse, but i just want to know how it works.

If you take it in June, it will definitely be on your ERAS application. The earliest you could take it, and not have it show up on ERAS (assuming you submit September 15th) is late August/early September.

 

[Magillicutty]

Thanks for all the replies -- they helped clarify a lot. I'll rethink taking it early!