Preclinical is graded and we are ranked: how much does this matter?

[deleted859689]

I know the PD ranking of pre-clinical grades based on the survey, but with step 1 P/F do preclinical grades really matter?

School teaches to the boards and we have quizzes every week - how neurotic should I be in getting an A? Literally spending 8 hours a day studying with an average of 750 cards/day in anki. Should I relax or keep going? I’ve gotten As on the quizzes so far, but the first test is coming up.

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[Billroth_III]

I'm a 2nd year and no expert but I was always under the impression your pre-clinical grades matter very little in the eyes of PDs.

The first 2 years are really learning as much as you can so that on 3rd and 4th year when your are in real patient scenarios you know what is going on when the attending tells you the patient has elevated AST/ALTs or that they need a compression ultrasound for a suspected DVT etc etc...

So study to get A's but LEARN the material and not just regurgitate.

If anything with STEP going P/F I would suspect your CLINICAL grades would matter more as well as STEP 2 but I would allow others who are further along than I am comment on this.

 

[AlteredScale]

I know the PD ranking of pre-clinical grades based on the survey, but with step 1 P/F do preclinical grades really matter?

School teaches to the boards and we have quizzes every week - how neurotic should I be in getting an A? Literally spending 8 hours a day studying with an average of 750 cards/day in anki. Should I relax or keep going? I’ve gotten As on the quizzes so far, but the first test is coming up.

Clinical grades are more important than preclinical grades. But pre clinical grades may build you up to get honors and other accolades that can help your application stand out. How much effort you want to put in obtaining those is entirely up to you and you need to find a good balance of working hard and finding time away from studying. Do as well as you can.

Just don’t screw up and fail a class because then you’ll potentially have explaining to do during interviews. You need a “clean record” on your residency application.

 

[AnatomyGrey12]

With Step now being P/F I would try and get as high of a rank as you can honestly.

 

[Goro]

While this can't tell you about a P/F Step score, it can tell you what PDs think of pre-clinical grades and class rank.

 

[giguerex35]

not to highjack this thread but has any info come out about the class of 2023 being officially P/F or number grade yet

 

[slowthai]

not to highjack this thread but has any info come out about the class of 2023 being officially P/F or number grade yet

Are you ready?

You're gonna love this...

Or hate it...

It's going to become P/F!!!

With non-optional scoring!!!

 

[giguerex35]

Are you ready?

You're gonna love this...

Or hate it...

It's going to become P/F!!!

With non-optional scoring!!!

source?

 

[slowthai]

source?

The NBME has it up on their site. For clarity, it'll stay scored; no retroactive changing of scores if you take it before Jan 2022.

 

[giguerex35]

The NBME has it up on their site. For clarity, it'll stay scored; no retroactive changing of scores if you take it before Jan 2022.

so then then the class of 2023 (who will take step 1 this summer and before january 2022) will still have a number score and not a p/f score. correct?

 

[slowthai]

so then then the class of 2023 (who will take step 1 this summer and before january 2022) will still have a number score and not a p/f score. correct?

Correct.