Matched but discovered today I failed Step2 CK -- help!

[failedstep2ck]

Today the unthinkable happened and I received notice that I failed the step 2 CK . I am completely in shock. On the two practice tests I took, I was scored in the 245 and 240 but the day of the test I had major anxiety, a mild panic attack, and my mind went completely blank. I had hoped I had just imagined it all, but here I am, staring at the results now, with no idea what to do. I'm worried that I will not be allowed to graduate. I'm terrified of notifying the program I matched at (likely a high tier program in a relatively competitive specialty) once I find out on Friday -- do I have to let them know immediately or can I retake it first? Will they kick me out? I am just overwhelmed, and I still have a month and a half of hardcore electives to finish, including an ICU month. What should I do? Has anyone heard of this happening before? In retrospect, I wish I had taken the step 2 back in the fall, but I just never thought I would fail, and I guess I did not study enough 2/2 senioritis / I did not account for the anxiety I would have (though I have had test anxiety before!). Even if my program is understanding, does this score doom my chances at fellowships down the road??

Thanks in advance for the help and advice.

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[rokshana]

Today the unthinkable happened and I received notice that I failed the step 2 CK . I am completely in shock. On the two practice tests I took, I was scored in the 245 and 240 but the day of the test I had major anxiety, a mild panic attack, and my mind went completely blank. I had hoped I had just imagined it all, but here I am, staring at the results now, with no idea what to do. I'm worried that I will not be allowed to graduate. I'm terrified of notifying the program I matched at (likely a high tier program in a relatively competitive specialty) once I find out on Friday -- do I have to let them know immediately or can I retake it first? Will they kick me out? I am just overwhelmed, and I still have a month and a half of hardcore electives to finish, including an ICU month. What should I do? Has anyone heard of this happening before? In retrospect, I wish I had taken the step 2 back in the fall, but I just never thought I would fail, and I guess I did not study enough 2/2 senioritis / I did not account for the anxiety I would have (though I have had test anxiety before!). Even if my program is understanding, does this score doom my chances at fellowships down the road??

Thanks in advance for the help and advice.

you need to rearrange things so you can make this a priority...you will have to have it passed before you start on July 1st..and if your school requires it for graduation, then you will have to have it passed before a certain date to graduate...you should go find out what that date is...if those electives are not requirements for graduation need to drop them and pick something up that will let you spend the majority of your time studying.

 

[bannie22]

Your school most likely wont have you graduate on time. You might have to hope that your program is willing to defer your start date.

 

[Dog_luver]

Today the unthinkable happened and I received notice that I failed the step 2 CK . I am completely in shock. On the two practice tests I took, I was scored in the 245 and 240 but the day of the test I had major anxiety, a mild panic attack, and my mind went completely blank. I had hoped I had just imagined it all, but here I am, staring at the results now, with no idea what to do. I'm worried that I will not be allowed to graduate. I'm terrified of notifying the program I matched at (likely a high tier program in a relatively competitive specialty) once I find out on Friday -- do I have to let them know immediately or can I retake it first? Will they kick me out? I am just overwhelmed, and I still have a month and a half of hardcore electives to finish, including an ICU month. What should I do? Has anyone heard of this happening before? In retrospect, I wish I had taken the step 2 back in the fall, but I just never thought I would fail, and I guess I did not study enough 2/2 senioritis / I did not account for the anxiety I would have (though I have had test anxiety before!). Even if my program is understanding, does this score doom my chances at fellowships down the road??

Thanks in advance for the help and advice.

Well by how much did you fail? Can you take say a month, study and retake? Sometimes dependeing on the specialty they might let you start later.

 

[Light at end of tunnel]

I don't know about this...sounds bizarre.

I mean who makes an account titled "I failed xyz"...

Can OP 'prove' they failed?

 

[Raryn]

Your school most likely wont have you graduate on time. You might have to hope that your program is willing to defer your start date.

It takes 3 weeks to get a score back. Graduation for most med schools is in late April to mid May.

Lets say his graduation is in mid-May. If OP lets his school know *now*, studies his arse off for a month, takes it in mid April, he'll probably have a score in time to graduate. Presumably his school doesn't require a score to certify him as able to rank (hence why he took it so late), so he might be OK.

Regardless, I wouldn't tell your program until you tell your school. Find out what your options are.

 

[2021Doctor]

What a gigantic farce this is
Amazing that we can have someone's career riding on a test that imo is an absolute scam which has no reliable evidence of any improvement in long term physician performance and patient outcomes.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

The match is binding. They can't let you go, even if they want to, as long as you're ready to start on July 1. If they have orientation before then, then hopefully by that date. So as above you need to schedule and pass CK ASAP, hopefully graduate from medical school on time, and get your training license, etc. They can't get a training license for you until you actually graduate, so you have until then to fix this.

 

[Raryn]

What a gigantic farce this.
Amazing that we can have someone's career riding on a test that imo is an absolute scam which has no reliable evidence of any improvement in long term physician performance and patient outcomes.

OP said CK (a legitimate exam IMO) not CS (the absolute scam).

 

[2021Doctor]

OP said CK (a legitimate exam IMO) not CS (the absolute scam).

Sorry. My bad.
Good luck to the OP.

 

[AdmiralChz]

I thought most programs required at least a score on CK prior to matching, we certainly do. Maybe not if you had a solid Step 1?

 

[pedsisthebest333]

Today the unthinkable happened and I received notice that I failed the step 2 CK . I am completely in shock. On the two practice tests I took, I was scored in the 245 and 240 but the day of the test I had major anxiety, a mild panic attack, and my mind went completely blank. I had hoped I had just imagined it all, but here I am, staring at the results now, with no idea what to do. I'm worried that I will not be allowed to graduate. I'm terrified of notifying the program I matched at (likely a high tier program in a relatively competitive specialty) once I find out on Friday -- do I have to let them know immediately or can I retake it first? Will they kick me out? I am just overwhelmed, and I still have a month and a half of hardcore electives to finish, including an ICU month. What should I do? Has anyone heard of this happening before? In retrospect, I wish I had taken the step 2 back in the fall, but I just never thought I would fail, and I guess I did not study enough 2/2 senioritis / I did not account for the anxiety I would have (though I have had test anxiety before!). Even if my program is understanding, does this score doom my chances at fellowships down the road??

Thanks in advance for the help and advice.

How did a program rank you without a step 2 score??

 

[ProfMD]

How did a program rank you without a step 2 score??

Not all places require step 2 for ranking. This will be program specific.

 

[Crayola227]

Not all places require step 2 for ranking. This will be program specific.

+1
yep everyone it varies program to program, at least in my day in my specialty

 

[gutonc]

+1
yep everyone it varies program to program, at least in my day in my specialty

Twice in one day that I agree with you.

I must be losing my mind.

My school required you to have taken it prior to graduation but you could graduate without passing. I know at least one person who got as far as matching in a fellowship without having passed it (although he'd taken it twice already).

 

[Raryn]

How did a program rank you without a step 2 score??

Only foreign grads are required to have passed both halves of step 2 by the match. The rest is school/program policy.

 

[ChipperChop]

What a pity... I would talk to your counselors to find out your deadlines. Step scores do the matter so much for fellowship... unless it's competitive..
Good luck

 

[evilbooyaa]

If you were previously scoring well, I would honestly just find a way to manage your anxiety and just re-take the damn thing ASAP.

 

[cellsaver]

I mean who makes an account titled "I failed xyz"...

It used to be that what people did on the internet seemed bizarre, isolated and just plain baffling. That was then. This is now

Given the 2016 election where Hillary called millions of Americans "deplorables", her apologists shamefully justified her, Trump castigated every ethnic, racial, physical disability and foreign national groups with his people justifying him, only to be outdone in October 2016 by Obama and Hillary crucifying Trump for refusing to commit to the outcomes of the upcoming Nov election ("sanctity of our democratic institutions" bs), while their supporters post election burned, rioted, marched, threw fire bombs, torched trash cans and limousines and beat up Trump supporters...it all seems that OP's profile name seems perfectly normal if not a tad vanilla.

I am not sure which psych med should be added to our national water supply, but it needs to be done. Maybe then SDN threads will be more fun!

 

[WingedOx]

It used to be that what people did on the internet seemed bizarre, isolated and just plain baffling. That was then. This is now

Given the 2016 election where Hillary called millions of Americans "deplorables", her apologists shamefully justified her, Trump castigated every ethnic, racial, physical disability and foreign national groups with his people justifying him, only to be outdone in October 2016 by Obama and Hillary crucifying Trump for refusing to commit to the outcomes of the upcoming Nov election ("sanctity of our democratic institutions" bs), while their supporters post election burned, rioted, marched, threw fire bombs, torched trash cans and limousines and beat up Trump supporters...it all seems that OP's profile name seems perfectly normal if not a tad vanilla.

I am not sure which psych med should be added to our national water supply, but it needs to be done. Maybe then SDN threads will be more fun!

wut?

 

[evilbooyaa]

It used to be that what people did on the internet seemed bizarre, isolated and just plain baffling. That was then. This is now

Given the 2016 election where Hillary called millions of Americans "deplorables", her apologists shamefully justified her, Trump castigated every ethnic, racial, physical disability and foreign national groups with his people justifying him, only to be outdone in October 2016 by Obama and Hillary crucifying Trump for refusing to commit to the outcomes of the upcoming Nov election ("sanctity of our democratic institutions" bs), while their supporters post election burned, rioted, marched, threw fire bombs, torched trash cans and limousines and beat up Trump supporters...it all seems that OP's profile name seems perfectly normal if not a tad vanilla.

I am not sure which psych med should be added to our national water supply, but it needs to be done. Maybe then SDN threads will be more fun!

Which psych med should you be taking that you're not that led you to take a small statement about choice of usernames and spin it into a complete discussion of the warped political climate?

I have 0 interest in discussing politics any further than I already have.

 

[cellsaver]

snip

You're a resident. Check yourself

 

[gutonc]

You're a resident. Check yourself

And you're a student...please consider checking yourself.

 

[evilbooyaa]

You're a resident. Check yourself

Lmao. Welcome to the internet. Should I check my resident privilege?

 

[Psai]

You're a resident. Check yourself

What are we checking for? Lice?

 

[cellsaver]

And you're a student...please consider checking yourself.

you're an SDN admin. consider being original

 

[deleted245139]

All the way from left field!

Anyway, to the OP, contact the program once you've rescheduled, and show them you owned it, and have set yourself up to rectify it.

 

[BoardingDoc]

Lmao. Welcome to the internet. Should I check my resident privilege?

 

[Light at end of tunnel]

And you're a student...please consider checking yourself.

Really?

I would respectfully remind you that rudeness is not tolerated on SDN!

 

[bannie22]

I dont think you can keep your side of the NRMP match if you do not have you score by July 1st and would therefore lose your position.

I think your program would also be rightfully concerned because Step2 is supposedly the easier Step and one that most people brush off and historically people see a rise in scores even with much less effort.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I dont think you can keep your side of the NRMP match if you do not have you score by July 1st and would therefore lose your position.

That is not correct.

US grads are not required by the NRMP or ACGME to have taken or passed Step 2 CK to start residency.

The issue is whether or not his school requires it to graduate or his residency requires it to start.

I think your program would also be rightfully concerned because Step2 is supposedly the easier Step and one that most people brush off and historically people see a rise in scores even with much less effort.

This is true.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Step 2 is usually required for a training license and/or credentialing. So although I agree that it's not rquired by the NRMP, it's usually a requirement for internship. But this depends upon state, and institution (for credentialing)

And the deadline isn't July 1. By July 1 he needs all of his paperwork/license complete and ready to work. So really needs to pass the Step earlier than that, so the rest of the paperwork can go through.

But the good news is that his residency can't just dump him because of the failure. As long as he completes it before deadlines, the match remains binding on all parties.

If the step completion / license / etc is late, then it's his program's option whether they want to delay start, or waive the match.

 

[DrSnips]

I know at least one person who got as far as matching in a fellowship without having passed it (although he'd taken it twice already).

I feel like there must be a story here...how could you possibly pull that off?

 

[gutonc]

I feel like there must be a story here...how could you possibly pull that off?

He was incredibly personable. And very smart...just a really terrible test taker. He stayed at the same institution from med school to fellowship and worked his connections from day 1.