PSA for anyone in Step 1 or Step 2 CK dedicated - Imminent 50% Cancellation

[efle]

Recently announced today that Prometric is closing until May 31 for non-essential exams, but essential exams such as USMLE will be resuming on May 1.

However, in order to do that, they have to have social distancing in the test centers. The national boards for architecture have already announced 50% cancellations at random in May-June to allow this.

Here is a reply email from USMLE on the subject. Certainly sounds like 50% of med students in dedicated are about to be cancelled until July-August.

Good luck everyone.

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[rhodesfb17]

Slow your roll a bit before you freak out. Prometric offers quite a number of exams that are non essential and therefore those exams that are cancelled might provide us the extra seats that are needed to maintain social distancing. That email does not read that a 50% of our exams are about to get cancelled. Deep breaths people

 

[TurtleyReady4Med]

Stolen from reddit

 

[Type2Fiber]

Absurd

 

[efle]

Slow your roll a bit before you freak out. Prometric offers quite a number of exams that are non essential and therefore those exams that are cancelled might provide us the extra seats that are needed to maintain social distancing. That email does not read that a 50% of our exams are about to get cancelled. Deep breaths people

Isn't prometric largely structured by day, like on the 5th of May at Center XYZ they offer Step 1, while on the 6th they offer Step 2 CK? That seemed to be a pattern in their availability calendars anyway, I don't think it's just a free for all where anyone can take any exam on any day. Which would mean they do have to cancel 50% of currently scheduled dates to space out the cubicles, but maybe they can add some additional days.

I suspect architecture boards count as essential too. Would be an awful coincidence for architects to cancel 50% of exams, USMLE to tell us "we will be impacted and contacted soon", and then not have half ours cancelled.

Time will tell.

 

[rhodesfb17]

I do not believe architecture boards will be considered essential, nor will GEDs, cosmetology, and many many more random exams Prometric administers. Delaying a class of residents, nurses or EMTs due to an inability to credential shuts down the healthcare system. Those three groups will be the ones given priority during a pandemic

I can say 100% it is not structured by day. Each board exam I have taken I was the only one taking that exam.

 

[aguacate58]

United States Medical Licensing Examination | Announcements

its official

 

[longhaul3]

Isn't prometric largely structured by day, like on the 5th of May at Center XYZ they offer Step 1, while on the 6th they offer Step 2 CK? That seemed to be a pattern in their availability calendars anyway, I don't think it's just a free for all where anyone can take any exam on any day. Which would mean they do have to cancel 50% of currently scheduled dates to space out the cubicles, but maybe they can add some additional days.

I suspect architecture boards count as essential too. Would be an awful coincidence for architects to cancel 50% of exams, USMLE to tell us "we will be impacted and contacted soon", and then not have half ours cancelled.

Time will tell.

I don't think it's by day; when I signed up for all my USMLE exams, I could choose any day, and then when I took them, I seemed to be the only one taking that exam each time.

 

[Frogger27]

Damn this is crazy.. scheduled for July 1, hope I am not affected by this. I feel for ya'll

 

[Dro133]

So sorry for anyone going through this right now

 

[Mass Effect]

Slow your roll a bit before you freak out. Prometric offers quite a number of exams that are non essential and therefore those exams that are cancelled might provide us the extra seats that are needed to maintain social distancing. That email does not read that a 50% of our exams are about to get cancelled. Deep breaths people

What determines essential versus non-essential exam? Because I'd argue in terms of essential, it would be Step 3 > Step 2 > MCAT > Step 1.

 

[altblue]

What determines essential versus non-essential exam? Because I'd argue in terms of essential, it would be Step 3 > Step 2 > MCAT > Step 1.

Legit curious why you placed the MCAT before step 1

 

[DrStephenStrange]

I need to start doing uworld in face mask

 

[DrStephenStrange]

Just to reiterate the OP

 

[Mass Effect]

Legit curious why you placed the MCAT before step 1

Because schools need some metric for issuing interviews, which starts over the summer/fall whereas MS 2s/MS 3s don't apply for residency until NEXT year, so Step 1 can be delayed for a while but if the MCAT is delayed, med schools will have to rely on non-standardized GPAs for interviews/admissions.

 

[deleted915325]

I need to start doing uworld in face mask
View attachment 303526

Lol I’m going to start sleeping in one so I become one with it

 

[EMDoc22]

Because schools need some metric for issuing interviews, which starts over the summer/fall whereas MS 2s/MS 3s don't apply for residency until NEXT year, so Step 1 can be delayed for a while but if the MCAT is delayed, med schools will have to rely on non-standardized GPAs for interviews/admissions.

I would put Step 1 over the MCAT since Step 1 is a physician licensing examination that you must pass to practice medicine by law, not to mention a graduation requirement. Creating a mass back log of med students needing to complete one of their licensing exams and possibly not completing all graduation requirements on time is not the solution. I can definitely see the argument for Step 2 and 3 being of higher importance though.

 

[Mass Effect]

I would put Step 1 over the MCAT since Step 1 is a physician licensing examination that you must pass to practice medicine by law, not to mention a graduation requirement. Creating a mass back log of med students needing to complete one of their licensing exams and possibly not completing all graduation requirements on time is not the solution. I can definitely see the argument for Step 2 and 3 being of higher importance though.

They'll complete it in time. There's no reason they shouldn't. Once things settle down next year, testing centers will have extra seats/sessions, as they're planning anyway, in order to sort out the backlog. Most people taking Step 1 won't be graduating for 2 years. But we can't have med schools admitting people with subjective GPAs and no standardization.

 

[bananafish94]

I wonder why they can’t make an exception during this very unique situation and have schools proctor it. Obviously there are security concerns but our schools already proctor all the shelf exams...

 

[Dro133]

I wonder why they can’t make an exception during this very unique situation and have schools proctor it. Obviously there are security concerns but our schools already proctor all the shelf exams...

I would imagine that the incentive for a school to "help" their students out with Step 1 would be much greater than for shelf exams. If a school wanted to inflate their clerkship grades, they could just reduce the portion of the grade that comes from the shelf score. Can't really do that with Step 1.

 

[softball2344]

I would imagine that the incentive for a school to "help" their students out with Step 1 would be much greater than for shelf exams. If a school wanted to inflate their clerkship grades, they could just reduce the portion of the grade that comes from the shelf score. Can't really do that with Step 1.

They aren't going to risk their accreditation, reputation, etc to "help" students with step exams.. it's BS that they can't make an exception this year

edit: or if they were really concerned prometric or NBME could send their own reps to proctor

 

[efle]

Didn't realize prometric was usually a free-for-all. I took Step 1 at the only Prometric in my home city (which has a med school) and everybody there seemed to be doing Step 1 with me! It'll be much easier to deal with the backlog if they can just start swapping us into seats in lieu of GREs.

I like the point about MCAT being essential within the next few months but I think the MCAT contract might have been lost to a competing company? I know I took the MCAT at a Prometric but I'm not 100% sure Prometric offers the MCAT these days.

The "security" for our shelf exams is a total joke. I could have left a smart phone hidden in the bathroom or something like that, easy. I really hope we don't have the final years of Step 1 be administered with cheating that feasible.

 

[efle]

They aren't going to risk their accreditation, reputation, etc to "help" students with step exams.. it's BS that they can't make an exception this year

edit: or if they were really concerned parametric or USMLE could send their own reps to proctor

You'd also think people wouldn't be stupid enough to risk their entire MD career over cheating in college coursework, but we get those threads all the time in Pre-Allo...

 

[throwaway1000000]

I wonder why they can’t make an exception during this very unique situation and have schools proctor it. Obviously there are security concerns but our schools already proctor all the shelf exams...

Great idea. Also a perfect time for CS to be thrown out and replaced by in-house comprehensive OSCE (which already takes place at a lot of schools).
Nothing special about Step 1 compared to NBME shelf exams.

 

[Steve_Zissou]

You'd also think people wouldn't be stupid enough to risk their entire MD career over cheating in college coursework, but we get those threads all the time in Pre-Allo...

Lol, here too apparently.

 

[bananafish94]

Great idea. Also a perfect time for CS to be thrown out and replaced by in-house comprehensive OSCE (which already takes place at a lot of schools).
Nothing special about Step 1 compared to NBME shelf exams.

Agreed. I find it so fascinating/sickening/unsurprising that the entire medical establishment accepts the existence of a test designed solely to extract money from students and we all just let it continue. Hopefully this can be a catalyst to ending it entirely.

 

[efle]

Agreed. I find it so fascinating/sickening/unsurprising that the entire medical establishment accepts the existence of a test designed solely to extract money from students and we all just let it continue. Hopefully this can be a catalyst to ending it entirely.

Well, the elephant in the room is that it does screen out a significant number of foreign applicants. Off the top of my head I think I recall like a 70% pass rate for FMG?

It needs to exist, just not for US med students, but that's a tough stance to defend.

 

[bananafish94]

I would imagine that the incentive for a school to "help" their students out with Step 1 would be much greater than for shelf exams. If a school wanted to inflate their clerkship grades, they could just reduce the portion of the grade that comes from the shelf score. Can't really do that with Step 1.

That’s true, I wonder if it would be possible to have some kind of third party proctor? I feel like if they delay it much further it’s going to be an untenable situation.

 

[efle]

That’s true, I wonder if it would be possible to have some kind of third party proctor? I feel like if they delay it much further it’s going to be an untenable situation.

Or they could accept that as medical students and residents, we're all going to get a hell of a lot more COVID exposure than what they're exposing us to at a Prometric...blocking out "med student days" where it's only USMLEs offered and we can sit normal distance apart makes the most sense to me. Then sterilize the crap out of everything and offer half-filled, 6-foot-bubble days for the GRE or whatever else.

 

[rhodesfb17]

Or they could accept that as medical students and residents, we're all going to get a hell of a lot more COVID exposure than what they're exposing us to at a Prometric...blocking out "med student days" where it's only USMLEs offered and we can sit normal distance apart makes the most sense to me. Then sterilize the crap out of everything and offer half-filled, 6-foot-bubble days for the GRE or whatever else.

Maybe you’re okay with that but I know I’m not. I don’t want to risk catching covid from a fellow medical student by breaking social distancing just to take a test. I can be reasonable seeing a patient. I’m stuck playing f*** f*** games when I’m at Prometric and they better be following every recommendation that exists to a T

 

[bananafish94]

Well, the elephant in the room is that it does screen out a significant number of foreign applicants. Off the top of my head I think I recall like a 70% pass rate for FMG?

It needs to exist, just not for US med students, but that's a tough stance to defend.

Oh I'd say it doesn't need to exist at all. There's nothing "tested" on that "exam" that isn't already tested several times over in considerably less arbitrary and capricious settings. If anyone has a true deficiency that manifests itself on CS, there's no way it hasn't already been unmasked at multiple other points in their career. Plus with as high a bar as there is for IMGs and FMGs I seriously doubt it meaningfully screens anyone out.

 

[bananafish94]

Or they could accept that as medical students and residents, we're all going to get a hell of a lot more COVID exposure than what they're exposing us to at a Prometric...blocking out "med student days" where it's only USMLEs offered and we can sit normal distance apart makes the most sense to me. Then sterilize the crap out of everything and offer half-filled, 6-foot-bubble days for the GRE or whatever else.

Yeah, I do think it's possible to do it in a safe way that doesn't completely blow up the schedule. But I don't realistically see Prometric opening themselves up to that kind of liability.

 

[efle]

Oh I'd say it doesn't need to exist at all. There's nothing "tested" on that "exam" that isn't already tested several times over in considerably less arbitrary and capricious settings. If anyone has a true deficiency that manifests itself on CS, there's no way it hasn't already been unmasked at multiple other points in their career. Plus with as high a bar as there is for IMGs and FMGs I seriously doubt it meaningfully screens anyone out.

I mean...it screens that 30%. Just because our medical admissions and education system catches the weirdos early, doesn't mean the admissions and education systems in other nations like India (as an example) do. When getting into medical school happens as a teenager and is based 100% off your standardized test scores, it provides plenty for CS to filter out. Also a huge variation in how much of a language barrier exists. None of the other USMLEs can detect someone who is fluent in written English but cannot comfortably converse in it.

 

[Chelsea FC]

They are alot of powerful orgs trying to lobby for their exams to go forward. I think we are overstating how much "med students days" will be put aside for us as Prometric is being reached out to by the different stakeholders for their exams to go forward. Also USLME has done a poor job at this so I have ZERO faith in them.

 

[FindersFee5]

I mean...it screens that 30%. Just because our medical admissions and education system catches the weirdos early, doesn't mean the admissions and education systems in other nations like India (as an example) do. When getting into medical school happens as a teenager and is based 100% off your standardized test scores, it provides plenty for CS to filter out. Also a huge variation in how much of a language barrier exists. None of the other USMLEs can detect someone who is fluent in written English but cannot comfortably converse in it.

Yeah, but 15 minutes of talking to somebody (AKA an interview) will do that.

 

[rhodesfb17]

Honest question, are FMGs and IMGs even going to be applying in the 2020-21 cycle?

 

[efle]

Yeah, but 15 minutes of talking to somebody (AKA an interview) will do that.

It's also not something discussed much on these sites, but a huge (~50%) chunk of IM/FM/Peds residency slots go to IMG/FMG. The bottom end of the bottom end of residencies in BFE still needs bodies to power the meat grinder. I bet a shocking proportion of those filtered by CS would otherwise successfully match into primary care spots in unpopular places.

Honest question, are FMGs and IMGs even going to be applying in the 2020-21 cycle?

My money says Step 2 CS gets waived for this Match because we need those applicants for the reason stated above. Zero chance that we let 10,000+ residency seats go empty. It would break the system.

 

[bananafish94]

I mean...it screens that 30%. Just because our medical admissions and education system catches the weirdos early, doesn't mean the admissions and education systems in other nations like India (as an example) do. When getting into medical school happens as a teenager and is based 100% off your standardized test scores, it provides plenty for CS to filter out. Also a huge variation in how much of a language barrier exists. None of the other USMLEs can detect someone who is fluent in written English but cannot comfortably converse in it.

That's a good point about other countries having a different system that starts earlier. Still in terms of catching "weirdos" you're mainly talking about CIS which has like a 94% pass rate for IMGs. The vast majority of the ~20-25% who fail CS are failing ICE (the "clinical" portion) and although I have absolutely no data to back this up I would wager the people who fail ICE have an extremely significant overlap with the similar percentage of people who fail Step 2 CK, or who have such low scores on CK that they're screened out. Pretty much everyone passes SEP so that doesn't really add anything. So overall I would say the value of the exam (if any) is extremely minimal, even for IMGs/FMGs and does not justify the cost and administrative bloat associated with it. But I'm veering way off-topic now and don't want to completely derail your thread!

 

[efle]

That's a good point about other countries having a different system that starts earlier. Still in terms of catching "weirdos" you're mainly talking about CIS which has like a 94% pass rate for IMGs. The vast majority of the ~20-25% who fail CS are failing ICE (the "clinical" portion) and although I have absolutely no data to back this up I would wager the people who fail ICE have an extremely significant overlap with the similar percentage of people who fail Step 2 CK, or who have such low scores on CK that they're screened out. Pretty much everyone passes SEP so that doesn't really add anything. So overall I would say the value of the exam (if any) is extremely minimal, even for IMGs/FMGs and does not justify the cost and administrative bloat associated with it. But I'm veering way off-topic now and don't want to completely derail your thread!

Per the USMLE site in 2017, non-US graduates (both IMG and FMG combined) had a 73% pass rate for the CS exam overall. Didn't realize only a few percent were failing the standardized patient portion of the score, though!

 

[Goro]

Recently announced today that Prometric is closing until May 31 for non-essential exams, but essential exams such as USMLE will be resuming on May 1.

However, in order to do that, they have to have social distancing in the test centers. The national boards for architecture have already announced 50% cancellations at random in May-June to allow this.

Here is a reply email from USMLE on the subject. Certainly sounds like 50% of med students in dedicated are about to be cancelled until July-August.

Good luck everyone.

I see the glass as more half full than half empty,a nd I don't see wher eit says that 50% of med students exams will be cancelled.

Boards for med students is more important than the architects. The social distancing thing implies that there could be a rationing of spots, but with other people not getting first crack, I'd wager that med students might be OK in this.

IF you have to delay rotations, so be it. The harsh truth is that the safety of you, your family and society is more important than your medical education. Residencies may very well have to adjust thier schedules to match yours for,well, matching,

 

[fldoctorgirl]

The CPA exam has been confirmed to be deemed essential by Prometric. So, not really trusting that this will help us at all if they're going to be handing out essential status to anyone who asks.

 

[efle]

I see the glass as more half full than half empty,a nd I don't see wher eit says that 50% of med students exams will be cancelled.

Boards for med students is more important than the architects. The social distancing thing implies that there could be a rationing of spots, but with other people not getting first crack, I'd wager that med students might be OK in this.

IF you have to delay rotations, so be it. The harsh truth is that the safety of you, your family and society is more important than your medical education. Residencies may very well have to adjust thier schedules to match yours for,well, matching,

Per the announcement today, Prometric should be telling people as soon as tomorrow, so we will know very soon.

I just don't see how the residency timeline has any flexibility. You'd either have to run floors with no interns (impossible) or keep graduating Senior Residents past their end (also impossible). They need bodies in those intern spots a lot more than they need me to experience rotations in other fields I'm not applying into.

 

[Mass Effect]

Per the announcement today, Prometric should be telling people as soon as tomorrow, so we will know very soon.

I just don't see how the residency timeline has any flexibility. You'd either have to run floors with no interns (impossible) or keep graduating Senior Residents past their end (also impossible). They need bodies in those intern spots a lot more than they need me to experience rotations in other fields I'm not applying into.

Which is why I think they're going to prioritize Step 3 and Step 2. Both of those truly are essential and necessary within the next several months.

 

[Dr. Foresight]

IF you have to delay rotations, so be it. The harsh truth is that the safety of you, your family and society is more important than your medical education. Residencies may very well have to adjust thier schedules to match yours for,well, matching,

Thing is my program has stated that our clinical will start as scheduled in June. If we have to push our tests back, they will take place during our clinical. Not sure what other programs are doing.

 

[Steve_Zissou]

Thing is my program has stated that our clinical will start as scheduled in June. If we have to push our tests back, they will take place during our clinical. Not sure what other programs are doing.

My program is doing the same.

 

[Dr. Foresight]

My program is doing the same.

I don't know if there is an alternative though. Hard to push clinicals when there is a timeline and accreditation requirements.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

Thing is my program has stated that our clinical will start as scheduled in June. If we have to push our tests back, they will take place during our clinical. Not sure what other programs are doing.

Same here for now. There are no plans to change our start dates. Which means if we get cancelled and there are no dates for months, we have to keep studying while starting rotations and prepping for shelves.

 

[fldoctorgirl]

This entire thing is being handled in the most unprofessional way possible, in my opinion. People who are scheduled for both COMLEX and Step have started getting emails that they have an exam cancelled (in June), and the email doesn't even specify which exam it is. This all seems like it's being done completely random; so, if I don't get an email does that mean I'm safe, are they randomly sending emails, who knows? They should've picked a date to let all May test takers know if they're cancelled or not, and then a day for all June. Like, by May 1st if you have a May date etc. This is ridiculous how they're keeping everyone on edge and just the worst way this could possibly be handled.

 

[Steve_Zissou]

This entire thing is being handled in the most unprofessional way possible, in my opinion. People who are scheduled for both COMLEX and Step have started getting emails that they have an exam cancelled (in June), and the email doesn't even specify which exam it is. This all seems like it's being done completely random; so, if I don't get an email does that mean I'm safe, are they randomly sending emails, who knows? They should've picked a date to let all May test takers know if they're cancelled or not, and then a day for all June. Like, by May 1st if you have a May date etc. This is ridiculous how they're keeping everyone on edge and just the worst way this could possibly be handled.

Do you mind linking the reddit post where people said their exams have been cancelled/rescheduled already?

 

[Scrubb]

Do you mind linking the reddit post where people said their exams have been cancelled/rescheduled already?

It’s only one person as of now. I believe that tests are going to be cancelled, but it’s hard to know what’s going on here.

It’s worth noting that NCARB, the architecture board organization who actually posted about the 50% thing a few days ago, in their post stated the cancellations were going to begin next week. So it seems likely it will really turn up then.