Is it okay to have Step 2ck score a week after MSPE (Oct 1)?

[deleted444768]

Planning when to take CK. I won't have it done by ERAS either way. I could take it with 3 weeks (19 days to be exact) dedicated period and have the score back before Oct 1, or 4 weeks dedicated and have score by Oct 5. Which would be better?

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[Xorthos]

It's obviously beneficial to have it back by the time ERAS opens, but plenty of interview invites will go out after this point, so while you may miss a few early birds, plenty of places will still see it.

A lot of people who applied this year didn't get their score back until after ERAS opened.

 

[J ROD]

That early would be ok. Better if it is all complete when it first comes out.

 

[playingfrombehind]

Planning when to take CK. I won't have it done by ERAS either way. I could take it with 3 weeks (19 days to be exact) dedicated period and have the score back before Oct 1, or 4 weeks dedicated and have score by Oct 5. Which would be better?

The most importnat thing is to get a high score esp. if you are IMG. So you will have to decide on the date that will give you the highest score.

 

[RangerBob]

Depends on your specialty. I didn't get my CK score back until around Christmas. In a lot of specialties (non-competitive ones) that's more than enough if you did OK on Step 1. Programs mostly just want to know you've passed CK by the time they submit their rank list. If you're applying to ortho or derm on the other hand, programs want those scores in early because it will factor in to whether or not you get an interview.

If you have a poor step 1 score, having a strong CK score can make up for that.

Unless you're going for a really competitive specialty, I'd take it when you'll best be best prepared. But honestly, if you're really going to dedicate those weeks to just studying for CK, 3 weeks is more than enough unless you struggled with Step 1.

It is really nice to get it out of the way before interviews though--everyone thinks they can interview and study for CK at the same time, but interviewing is exhausting and you really want to be able to focus on interviewing and not CK. (Of note, I was one of those people as I took it late Nov and I wish I had finished it by early Nov, which is when I had my first interview)

 

[J ROD]

I applied for Psychiatry and was told the same stuff by my school. You will be fine since it is not competitive, etc.

I applied to 20 programs and turns out after looking why I was not getting more interviews. 7 of the 20 required a CK score for an interview. So, I would recommend getting in as close to 9/15 as possible.

Just my experience......

 

[Raryn]

Depends on two things: Most importantly, are you a US grad (whether MD or DO doesn't matter for this question) or a foreign grad? If you're a US grad, doesn't matter so much. If you're a foreign grad, you need CK+CS done before your application is considered, at all, at the vast majority of programs. That means getting scores back before September 15 if at all possible.

The other question is what specialty you're applying to. This is more important when considering whether to take Step 2 in September vs say... January... but importance still varies from field to field. One week probably won't make too big of a difference here though.

 

[Psai]

I think step 2 is becoming more important. I've heard of people in anesthesia, im and ortho being asked for their step 2 score even with a decent app and stellar step 1s. I think for IM it's getting to be more important because they're noticing that board certification rates are dropping across the board. They all matched well but I wonder if you could be missing out on an interview invitations if you don't have step 2. A program invited me for an interview without a step 2 score but my friend with a higher step 1 was asked about step 2 and eventually not offered an invitation.

 

[Raryn]

I think step 2 is becoming more important. I've heard of people in anesthesia, im and ortho being asked for their step 2 score even with a decent app and stellar step 1s. I think for IM it's getting to be more important because they're noticing that board certification rates are dropping across the board. They all matched well but I wonder if you could be missing out on an interview invitations if you don't have step 2. A program invited me for an interview without a step 2 score but my friend with a higher step 1 was asked about step 2 and eventually not offered an invitation.

Huh?

The nationwide ABIM first-time takers pass rate has been increasing for 5 years running. http://www.abim.org/~/media/ABIM Public/Files/pdf/statistics-data/certification-pass-rates.pdf

 

[Psai]

Huh?

The nationwide ABIM first-time takers pass rate has been increasing for 5 years running. http://www.abim.org/~/media/ABIM Public/Files/pdf/statistics-data/certification-pass-rates.pdf

I made a mistake, it's the recertification exam that seems to be the issue

http://knowledgeplus.nejm.org/abim-pass-rates-behind-declines/

Since then it went to 80% in 2014 and 88% in 2015 but this is what I've heard. IM is not my field so I'm not an expert. But I do hear that more and more programs are asking for step 2 scores for whatever reason

 

[rokshana]

I made a mistake, it's the recertification exam that seems to be the issue

http://knowledgeplus.nejm.org/abim-pass-rates-behind-declines/

Since then it went to 80% in 2014 and 88% in 2015 but this is what I've heard. IM is not my field so I'm not an expert. But I do hear that more and more programs are asking for step 2 scores for whatever reason

that still doesn't make sense ....why would residency programs be worried about recertification rates?

simply put there are more and more applications to residency programs and these standardized tests are a way for programs to separate out those they want to interview...it has been de facto required for I/FMGs...its now trickling down to the US seniors.

 

[Psai]

that still doesn't make sense ....why would residency programs be worried about recertification rates?

simply put there are more and more applications to residency programs and these standardized tests are a way for programs to separate out those they want to interview...it has been de facto required for I/FMGs...its now trickling down to the US seniors.

I don't know, this is what I've heard

It makes little sense to put growing importance on step 2. I studied so much less for step 2 and still beat my step 1 score comfortably. The number doesn't tell you much

 

[rokshana]

I don't know, this is what I've heard

It makes little sense to put growing importance on step 2. I studied so much less for step 2 and still beat my step 1 score comfortably. The number doesn't tell you much

well really do any of these tests make a real statement about the a student's ability? or a resident's ability...and esp the recert...that wone seems to be the most out of touch (esp for IM)...i mean if you have been a hospitalist for 10 years and haven't done ANY outpt medicine, why do you have to be tested on it? and vice versa...a PCP has not been keeping up with CC medicine...really fair to expect them to know (or even require) them to know that stuff...for MOC and recert there really should be 2 different test in IM (maybe there will be ) or follow the ASA and do ongoing testing and stop the 10 year test.

 

[Raryn]

I don't know, this is what I've heard

It makes little sense to put growing importance on step 2. I studied so much less for step 2 and still beat my step 1 score comfortably. The number doesn't tell you much

Step 2 is closer to clinical practice than Step 1. Other than purely as a weed-out #, I still have no idea why most programs (outside of something like pathology) would care about Step 1 above all. That said, they do.

More are realizing that Step 2 is closer to a gauge of your clinical knowledge, so that's becoming more important as well, which is reasonable.

And yes, everyones score goes up on step 2... on average it goes up 15 points. But if your score only went up 10, and your step 2 score is average as opposed to an above average step 1... or (as in my case) your step 2 score goes up 40 points, and goes from below average step 1 to above average step 2, I'd say that's valuable information to have. But maybe that's wishful thinking on my part.

 

[PSamP]

I applied for Psychiatry and was told the same stuff by my school. You will be fine since it is not competitive, etc.

I applied to 20 programs and turns out after looking why I was not getting more interviews. 7 of the 20 required a CK score for an interview. So, I would recommend getting in as close to 9/15 as possible.

Just my experience......

In my experience top tier institutions tend not to care too much.

 

[rokshana]

In my experience top tier institutions tend not to care too much.

well since you didn't manage to match, there is a bit of a * to your advice...

 

[PSamP]

well since you didn't manage to match, there is a bit of a * to your advice...

OUCH. I meant in sending out invites only. For matching I've learnt the hard way that ck may be good.

 

[clausewitz2]

Step 2 is closer to clinical practice than Step 1. Other than purely as a weed-out #, I still have no idea why most programs (outside of something like pathology) would care about Step 1 above all. That said, they do.

More are realizing that Step 2 is closer to a gauge of your clinical knowledge, so that's becoming more important as well, which is reasonable.

And yes, everyones score goes up on step 2... on average it goes up 15 points. But if your score only went up 10, and your step 2 score is average as opposed to an above average step 1... or (as in my case) your step 2 score goes up 40 points, and goes from below average step 1 to above average step 2, I'd say that's valuable information to have. But maybe that's wishful thinking on my part.

My Step 1 score was a touch below the national median, and my Step 2 score was two standard deviations above. I got my CK score out the day after ERAS opened and had a 95% interview invite rate. This was in psych, where historically I think more programs have been burned by folks who fail CK not being able to start, but still, this supports your theory.

 

[Psai]

I got almost all of my interviews before submitting step 2 but they all asked for it