Question about when to take Step 2

[shemarty]

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I just finished MS3 and am about to start a year of research before applying into ophtho the following year.

I was supposed to take Step 2 in a week, before starting my year off. But, I'm getting a lot of advice about rescheduling it for late Nov 2013 after I come back from my research year, because the score won't go into the residency application at that point.

Since I did well on Step 1 (257), I'm told that Step 2 can only hurt me, and I have to at least do better than on Step 1 for it to just be neutral, and therefore it's a risk I shouldn't take. I just took the USMLEworld self-assessment today and got a 247, and my test is 8 days away.

I'm thinking about studying for 3 more days since there are a couple little topics I'd like to re-review, take a NBME practice test, and then decide at that point based on whether I get above or below 260.

Thoughts?

For reference, I got honors in surgery and neuro, pass in everything else (we don't have HP), and no ophtho research yet, which is why I'm taking this year to do research.

 

[doctortom]

Given the strength of your application, I highly doubt a good or bad step 2 score will affect you at all. If you feel confident that you can get >240 on step 2, I would just get it out of the way. I am yet to hear of a bad Step 2 score being brought up in an interview! Good luck!

 

[cubsrule4e]

^Agree. Just get it out of the way. It would be really painful to have to start studying for it again after all that time off.

 

[shemarty]

Could a Step 2 score be the reason that a program bumps me down in their rankings, if there's some other applicant who's otherwise similar to me, also did well on Step 1, but didn't take Step 2 yet?

It seems unlikely, but my adviser's argument is that there's no reason to potentially risk putting a mediocre, or even good-but-not-stellar, step 2 score on my application.

How bad would my practice test score have to be, when I take another one in a couple days, for me to actually cancel my test and deal with the annoyance of re-studying and taking it late next year?

 

[doctortom]

The fact that Ophtho residencies don't require your step 2 score before match day shows how inconsequential it is. No I don't think step 2 scores are used as a tie-breaker. There are so many applicants to each program that they don't have time to sit and make a complicated algorithm of who is marginally better than the next. With a strong step 1 score, you'll survive the initial weed-out and then the rest of your application will speak for itself. If you feel that you are unprepared for the test, don't take it. But don't just cancel your test because you may not surpass your Step 1 score.

 

[guttata]

Could a Step 2 score be the reason that a program bumps me down in their rankings, if there's some other applicant who's otherwise similar to me, also did well on Step 1, but didn't take Step 2 yet?

It seems unlikely, but my adviser's argument is that there's no reason to potentially risk putting a mediocre, or even good-but-not-stellar, step 2 score on my application.

How bad would my practice test score have to be, when I take another one in a couple days, for me to actually cancel my test and deal with the annoyance of re-studying and taking it late next year?

Go ahead and take it. Some programs will screen based on your step 1 score. Step 2 scores will not be a tiebreaker (most do not have their scores available by application time). Once you get to the interview stage, the interview takes precedence over any score. Also, you probably do not need an extra year of research unless you want to match in the top 10.

 

[mydodger]

I just finished MS3 and am about to start a year of research before applying into ophtho the following year.

I was supposed to take Step 2 in a week, before starting my year off. But, I'm getting a lot of advice about rescheduling it for late Nov 2013 after I come back from my research year, because the score won't go into the residency application at that point.

Since I did well on Step 1 (257), I'm told that Step 2 can only hurt me, and I have to at least do better than on Step 1 for it to just be neutral, and therefore it's a risk I shouldn't take. I just took the USMLEworld self-assessment today and got a 247, and my test is 8 days away.

I'm thinking about studying for 3 more days since there are a couple little topics I'd like to re-review, take a NBME practice test, and then decide at that point based on whether I get above or below 260.

Thoughts?

For reference, I got honors in surgery and neuro, pass in everything else (we don't have HP), and no ophtho research yet, which is why I'm taking this year to do research.

Are you doing the research year because you have a top tier program that you're wanting to match into? Can anyone comment on the likelihood of a candidate with a 257 and honors in some third year courses NOT matching somewhere even without research?

 

[shemarty]

Yea, I was told by my adviser that I would probably match somewhere if I applied this year, but she encouraged me to do a research year to have a better shot at the top programs. There are 6 students in my class going into ophtho and we're *all* taking a research year.

 

[mydodger]

Yea, I was told by my adviser that I would probably match somewhere if I applied this year, but she encouraged me to do a research year to have a better shot at the top programs. There are 6 students in my class going into ophtho and we're *all* taking a research year.

I am so glad that very few people in my class are going into Ophtho. I know I won't match at Wills or Bascom - but here's hoping that you do! Good luck!

 

[Hemichordate]

Yea, I was told by my adviser that I would probably match somewhere if I applied this year, but she encouraged me to do a research year to have a better shot at the top programs. There are 6 students in my class going into ophtho and we're *all* taking a research year.

Are the students going into other competitive specialties all taking research years as well?

 

[Hemichordate]

I am so glad that very few people in my class are going into Ophtho. I know I won't match at Wills or Bascom - but here's hoping that you do! Good luck!

But, you can always dream 😉

 

[RestoreSight]

Yea, I was told by my adviser that I would probably match somewhere if I applied this year, but she encouraged me to do a research year to have a better shot at the top programs. There are 6 students in my class going into ophtho and we're *all* taking a research year.

It would be nice to see some data on whether or not a "research year" or time off in general actually does anything to move up your chances of matching in a top program. I have my doubts. I interviewed at most of the top 10 programs and it seemed like the name of their medical school was the biggest determining factor. Since most programs only have 4-6 spots, they seemed to eventually prefer names like harvard, yale, and stanford over everything else.

Maybe you can spend your research year doing research on whether a research year actually improves a candidates chances of matching in a top program.

 

[shemarty]

Are the students going into other competitive specialties all taking research years as well?

Not 100% of them. Many applicants in ortho, derm, anesthesia, etc are going straight through, and there are also people going into internal medicine who are taking a research year. Though getting into internal medicine at UCSF is probably as competitive as any of the "competitive specialties."

It would be nice to see some data on whether or not a "research year" or time off in general actually does anything to move up your chances of matching in a top program. I have my doubts. I interviewed at most of the top 10 programs and it seemed like the name of their medical school was the biggest determining factor.

But programs still don't have enough spots to take all applicants who went to a "top" medical school. And a research year doesn't hurt, as long as you don't mind taking a year to do it. And I'm doing this certificate program thing that involves extra classes in research design / epidemiology / biostats that'll be super useful no matter what. But more likely than not, once you make it to the interview, its probably more a matter of how well you clicked with them in person.