step 1 and 2 scores
Started by leaft
Solid scores are important. More important are honors in 3rd year psych rotation and strong psych letters. Personal statement and interview are very important at top tier places.
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I'll be very candid and say that I failed both STEPs once each, and ended up at an AMAZING program that I'm extremely happy with. At the same time, it did prevent me from gaining interviews at places which I believe otherwise would have talked to me, such as Harvard Longwood and UPenn. Low scores are not fatal, but realize that there are competetive spots even in Psychiatry and you may close some of those doors if it is ivy/Top 5 that you absolutely have to have.
Hey, jjbmsiv I'm an INFJ, we are rare breeds so they say...
I think that they look at the overall picture of you as an applicant. As an American MD student you will probably have doors open more quickly regardless of scores. I'm rotating at a "top tier" ( I hate that term- hate it) program in a month or so, and they required Step 1 score to accept you into the rotation. Turns out it was simply a "pass" that is required, but I don't know if they look at multiple attempts or not. The gods were smiling on me the day I took it, and somehow I didn't have to go through it twice. Cannot speak to Step 2- I take it in 2 weeks. So, I would say that they are not super important, but certainly help if they are strong.
A Step 1 pass is required for (almost?) any visiting rotation in any specialty. Folks at my school who fail get yanked off the wards immediately after receiving scores until they pass, and I think that's fairly universal. I'm looking at doing an away rotation at possibly the least prestigious* allopathic med school in the country near the end of the year because it's near my hometown and they have some neat rural electives, and even there step 1 pass is required to do an away rotation.
*to be clear, I've thought wonderfully of the handful of docs I've ever met that graduated from there, so my estimate of its prestige is not to imply my estimate of its quality.
*to be clear, I've thought wonderfully of the handful of docs I've ever met that graduated from there, so my estimate of its prestige is not to imply my estimate of its quality.
I guess that my point is that for my away rotation, I had to send my Step 1 score with my initial application. This was evaluated by the Psych dept where I applied to roatate, and then I was accepted. So, I doubt they would have acecpted me to spend a month with them if my score wasn't "good enough" for accepting into a residency.
Then later I was told over the phone, by a secretary (so who the heck knows if it is true or whatever) in the office that processes the applications, "all Psych wants is to see that you passed." It would seem cruel and silly to me if they would allow me to come there for a month, apply to the program and then later tell me my Step 1 score wasn't high enough. But who knows.
Then later I was told over the phone, by a secretary (so who the heck knows if it is true or whatever) in the office that processes the applications, "all Psych wants is to see that you passed." It would seem cruel and silly to me if they would allow me to come there for a month, apply to the program and then later tell me my Step 1 score wasn't high enough. But who knows.
