Minimum Step 1 score

[p20s02u]

I was just curious from your experience what a minimum Step 1 score has been to get into an Ortho residency, with the realization that other factors are involved in the placement process. Thanks.

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[SoCalRULES!!!!!]

I was just curious from your experience what a minimum Step 1 score has been to get into an Ortho residency, with the realization that other factors are involved in the placement process. Thanks.

I would say 220+ and you can still get "a" residency if you apply everwhere without problem. However, if you want to match in LA, you better hope for at least a 240.

 

[undecided05]

Know someone with 215 step I that has 11 interviews... strong letters, AOA, step II, and research can help with weak step I.

 

[adios89]

i know an FMG with 210, great letters, 6 research publications and letter from director of Orthopedics Institute at Johns Hopkins-Bayview.

adios,

Alejandro

 

[bigfrank]

Know someone with 215 step I that has 11 interviews... strong letters, AOA, step II, and research can help with weak step I.

Agreed. AOA can compensate for any weakness, it seems!

 

[dry dre]

To the OP, I might have asked the question "what is the minimum Step 1 score I need to get my application looked at." If you have an average Step 1 score, your application will not even be looked at by a great number of programs.

If you have a 220, apply everywhere, AND have strong clinicals (i.e. honor most everything) + strong ortho away rotations + strong ortho letters and some type of research project background, with no ugly blemishes in your app, you probably will get in somewhere (most likely in a place where you did one of your aways). There are exceptions to this and you will hear these anecdotes, but just remember they are the exceptions.

You have to understand that the number of ortho apps keeps going up. When programs face applicant to position ratios of 100:1, you need to first worry about the screens.

 

[SoCalRULES!!!!!]

Agreed. AOA can compensate for any weakness, it seems!

But people in AOA tend to not have weaknesses. There are not that many AOAers (if any) walking around with a 215 on step 1.

 

[OSU03]

That's false. There isn't a strong correlation with AOA and Step 1 scores. The highest step 1s at my school didnt get AOA, and plenty of average Step 1s did. It is more how well you fit in on clinical rotations and how hard you work, not intelligence.

 

[bigfrank]

But people in AOA tend to not have weaknesses. There are not that many AOAers (if any) walking around with a 215 on step 1.

At our school, the Dean told me personally that the Step I is NOT taken into consideration for AOA membership, due to the fact that it is difficult to "quantitatively separate a 265 from a 255, for example." I don't necessarily agree with that logic, but that's what I was told.

 

[SoCalRULES!!!!!]

Yeah, but it is very simple to differentiate between a 265 and a 215.

I'm just saying that people that tend to "honor" everything, and have a good attitude and do well in clinical rotations and are involved as leaders in the school tend to smash the boards also.

Especially if your school has "junior" and "senior" AOA. Junior AOA is typically limited to the best of the best.

 

[bigfrank]

Yeah, but it is very simple to differentiate between a 265 and a 215.

I'm just saying that people that tend to "honor" everything, and have a good attitude and do well in clinical rotations and are involved as leaders in the school tend to smash the boards also.

Especially if your school has "junior" and "senior" AOA. Junior AOA is typically limited to the best of the best.

Believe me, I'm on your side. I have the highest Step I score in my class and I wish it was considered like in other schools.

 

[dave40]

I have been hearing that most of the better programs have started using 220 as the cut-off for interviews, any truth to this?


Does doing significantly better on Step 2 help your chances at all? Some people have said that programs have begun to wait until those scores are in to even rank you. Should I take it sooner in my 3rd year rather than later?

Also, does anyone have any good advice on ways to find out if you are competitive for a given program?

 

[tom_jones]

I was just curious from your experience what a minimum Step 1 score has been to get into an Ortho residency, with the realization that other factors are involved in the placement process. Thanks.

if AOA then 260

if not AOA 275

 

[HPSPpayissues]

Know someone with 215 step I that has 11 interviews... strong letters, AOA, step II, and research can help with weak step I.

You can get into AOA with 215? I thought you need at least 225 - 230?

 

[basupran]

My school used step one as part of a formula to determine who would become a member or not.

That being said, there is a huge range. I have a friend who matched into a top 3 ortho program in the country with a 230....he blew everyone away during his ai.... I also know a guy with a 255, AOA who didn't match. There is more to ortho...

So nothing is impossible, but I would say things get significantly harder below a 230. Look through the charting outcomes in the match document to figure out what your chances are...it gives you a % matched through ranges of step 1. A good away rotation can help overcome a weak step 1....