Personal Statement: Addressing or not addressing a failed/retaken USMLE?

[16prov9]

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I have heard conflicting advice on this:

In the personal statement, is it better to address a failed USMLE Step that was retaken and later passed or is it better not to mention this and rather focus on other strengths?

In the case of addressing it, I understand that it should be shown how self-correction was made to overcome the previous challenge.

Also, if it should be included--I have read that it should be stated in the first paragraph to address this potential "stumbling block" upfront. However, someone else in medicine advised me to address it in the last paragraph, if I mention it at all.

Does anyone have advice on this?


Thank you.

 

[atsai3]

If your failing the exam relates to the reasons why you want to be a physician in specialty XYZ, then discuss it in the personal statement. If not, then don't. You will be asked about failing the boards in your interview, so you will have plenty of opportunities to 'address' it.

That being said, a natural follow up question would be: will disclosing the failure in your personal statement *increase* your chances of getting an interview (compared to not discussing it)? Hard to say, but in the absence of evidence I would guess not.

-AT.

 

[mcl]

As an application reviewer, a fail is a fail unless the applicant tells me of some mitigating circumstance that allows me to believe he/she will be able to pass future exams (i.e, Board exams) on the first attempt. I tend to appreciate applicants addressing obvious weaknesses in their personal statements.