Scored well below average on Step2...is this the end?

[ItalianGuy]

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Hello everyone,

I´ve been a silent visitor of this forum and I apologize in advance for my "what are my chances thread".
It´s just that I feel very frustrated and need a reality-check concerning my future plans.

I´m a final year medical student in Italy and plan to apply for a Residency Position in Pediatrics in the United States in 2010.
I passed Step1 last year with a score of 95. I was very happy that my efforts seemed to pay off, since I literally had no free time as I had to attend both my regular classes at my medical school and also have a part-time job.

I got my Step2 CK Score this wednesday and scored a catastrophic 205/84.
I don´t know what happened, well, I know that I did not prepare as intensive as I did for Step1, using only UW as my single learning tool, but I thought that I would at least score average.

So if I take a look at my scores I feel like my solid Step1 performance is worthless and overshadowed by an under-average Step2 Score.
I guess I lost a lot of interview-opportunities by just scoring <85, being filtered when I will apply through ERAS.

I´ll be doing 2 months of medical electives in the US next year in Pediatrics and will work my ass off to get decent LORs, but I can´t lose the bitter feeling of not getting a chance just because of some stupid numbers.

What do you guys think?

 

[MaxMoonMD]

Hi,

I´m also still a medical student (Germany), so I can´t speak from experience concerning your match-chances.
I can understand your disappointment in your score, and yes, it might have closed some doors for certain programs, but:

1. Pediatrics seems still to be a less competitive specialty (in contrast to Germany, where it is very competitive).
So while you might get less invitations as if you had scored higher, I think there will still be a decent amount of interview opportunities, as long as you are flexible and apply broadly.

2. Your score is just a part of your application. I think especially in Pediatrics, where at least from my experience work the most dedicated and passionate doctors, I just can´t imagine that scores are the most important part of a candidate.
Your Step1 score is above average, and you have passed both exams on first attempt.

3. Do as good as you can on your electives in the United States.
I´ll be spending 5 months in the US next year, 2 of which I work in Pediatrics.
And you can bet that I will work my butt off. 👍

4. Maybe you could try to do additional electives in the US.
The more the better, it not only familiarizes you with the system and may open a door or two to these programms, but you may get additional LORs.

For what it´s worth. You´ve come this far, and if you want to be a Pediatrician, stay focused and it will work out fine.

 

[ItalianGuy]

Thank you Max for your reply.

Although I agree with you that there is more to an applicant than just his score, it is a common filtering tool, especially for foreign medical graduates, because most of us apply with the whole USMLE package (sometimes even with Step3) and the amount of FMG-Applicants seems to rise.

So the competition is getting tougher, and as the number of applicants rises, filters will be used tighter and more frequently, so I still think that I´ll be sorted out because of my step2 score. (I think we FMGs will be screened on Step1 and 2, so my Step1 score won´t count as my Step2 Score drags me down)

Nonetheless, I´ll work hard for during my electives...just feel like everything I have worked for and sacrifices I made during the last months/years was worthless.

 

[MaxMoonMD]

Thank you Max for your reply.

Although I agree with you that there is more to an applicant than just his score, it is a common filtering tool, especially for foreign medical graduates, because most of us apply with the whole USMLE package (sometimes even with Step3) and the amount of FMG-Applicants seems to rise.

So the competition is getting tougher, and as the number of applicants rises, filters will be used tighter and more frequently, so I still think that I´ll be sorted out because of my step2 score. (I think we FMGs will be screened on Step1 and 2, so my Step1 score won´t count as my Step2 Score drags me down)

Nonetheless, I´ll work hard for during my electives...just feel like everything I have worked for and sacrifices I made during the last months/years was worthless.

Hey Italian Guy,

I think you are a bit over-dramatic now 😉
You passed both exams on first try, will have done some electives in the US, be a fresh graduate when you apply for residency (when will you participate in the match?)...you need to relax a bit.
Besides, if you plan on doing Step3 before your application you get another chance to show a raise in performance.