Low step 1 and step 2ck scores

[themedic51]

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Hi everyone! I need a little advice as I am totally distraught and lost. I am a US IMG, YoG 2 yrs by the time I apply, step 1 202, step 2ck 222 (made some sillyass mistakes and changes about 20 questions I thought I failed), hoping to pass CS on 1st attempt in a couple of months. Do I still have a chance to match in IM? Low-tier/community programs? Thanks. All forms of criticism and advice is welcome.

 

[studentdocftw]

So looking at the data...in the last 2 years, applicants with your stats and US IMG status match IM at 37%. For FM, it is 44%. Pass CS, apply broadly to community programs and hope for the best.

 

[themedic51]

Thanks for your insight. Would you recommend killing step 3 to boost my application?

 

[bobow98]

You can try to show dedication to a field like psych or PM&R that doesn't value step scores as much as other fields traditionally do and see if you can get into one of these fields. But they are pretty unique specialities so you better make sure you actually like those fields. Try to do rotations and research in those fields if you can, preferably from people who have data and are ready to publish but need manpower to write the data up.

 

[jurassicpark]

Not impossible, but hard. Did you rotate in the states? Know of any chair or program director in a medicine rotation you shined in? Is there a possibility to doing research or shadowing with a program you're interested in?

 

[deleted731525]

You can try to show dedication to a field like psych or PM&R that doesn't value step scores as much as other fields traditionally do and see if you can get into one of these fields. But they are pretty unique specialities so you better make sure you actually like those fields. Try to do rotations and research in those fields if you can, preferably from people who have data and are ready to publish but need manpower to write the data up.

Isnt psych pretty competitive these days? Like 1/3 of IMG applicants to psych matched last year if I recall correctly.

 

[bobow98]

Isnt psych pretty competitive these days? Like 1/3 of IMG applicants to psych matched last year if I recall correctly.

You'd have to look at the match stats from last few years. When I applied for residency psych was not very competitive.

 

[themedic51]

No I didn’t. What are your opinions on family medicine? I just want to be part hospitalist at the end of the day.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

I am confused how you have already graduated medical school yet have not taken Step 2CS yet. Regardless, no one can tell you what your chances are exactly, and even if relatively low (as suggested above) you should apply for at least 1 cycle to see what happens.

I would not take Step 3. First, you're very unlikely to "kill it". You're not great at exams. That doesn't make you a bad doctor, but you're very unlikely to do extraordinarily well on S3. Second, if you fail S3, you're in big trouble and any chance of finding a spot falls to zero.

 

[themedic51]

I finished from an offshore med school. I appreciate your input and I will definitely kill it.