Step 1 Score and Chances

[Unty]

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Hello I am a FMG and was wondering what residency positions can I obtain with a Step 1 score of 195/80? Will be studying hard to improve on Step 2, but I hear Step 1 scores are used as cutoffs for residency.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[2006MD]

don't dispair, just improve on step 2

 

[ER-ER-Oh]

Hello I am a FMG and was wondering what residency positions can I obtain with a Step 1 score of 195/80? Will be studying hard to improve on Step 2, but I hear Step 1 scores are used as cutoffs for residency.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Everything and nothing is true. There are absolutely NO RULES on this, period. DO NOT LISTEN TO THOSE WHO TELL YOU OTHERWISE. It may not be as easy for you as someone who scored over 220, but don't let that stop you. If you believe you don't deserve to get the residency you want it will show in your application and interviews. But you need to be HONESTLY passionate about the field you apply to, and be willing to honestly prove this in person. Some places use cutoffs as a general rule. That doesn't mean a phone call from a doctor you know who would recommend you highly and is in the same field you wish to be in wouldn't get you an interview at a program who sent you a rejection letter. It's up to you and your personality, drive, creativity, and desire. I scored way below what everyone said was "ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY" on step 1 to get into Emergency Medicine. But I did 20 points better on step 2, wrote a heartfelt personal statement, and had outstanding reference letters. I also got an interview after being rejected by writing a letter, not an email, to the program director of a program saying how disappointed I was not have recieved an interview. I wished him luck on getting the high quality candidates he'd had success in getting in the past and said I thought he was passing up an excellent cadidate in me despite my less than stellar step 1 score. His secretary called me the following week to invite me for an interview. I matched elsewhere, but you get the point.

 

[Thaitanium]

Everything and nothing is true. There are absolutely NO RULES on this, period. DO NOT LISTEN TO THOSE WHO TELL YOU OTHERWISE. It may not be as easy for you as someone who scored over 220, but don't let that stop you. If you believe you don't deserve to get the residency you want it will show in your application and interviews. But you need to be HONESTLY passionate about the field you apply to, and be willing to honestly prove this in person. Some places use cutoffs as a general rule. That doesn't mean a phone call from a doctor you know who would recommend you highly and is in the same field you wish to be in wouldn't get you an interview at a program who sent you a rejection letter. It's up to you and your personality, drive, creativity, and desire. I scored way below what everyone said was "ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY" on step 1 to get into Emergency Medicine. But I did 20 points better on step 2, wrote a heartfelt personal statement, and had outstanding reference letters. I also got an interview after being rejected by writing a letter, not an email, to the program director of a program saying how disappointed I was not have recieved an interview. I wished him luck on getting the high quality candidates he'd had success in getting in the past and said I thought he was passing up an excellent cadidate in me despite my less than stellar step 1 score. His secretary called me the following week to invite me for an interview. I matched elsewhere, but you get the point.

CONGRATS! 👍 👍 👍

 

[McGillGrad]

Like other have stated, go for the gusto on Step 2 and explain why your Step 1 score was not stellar.

Confidence is your best asset.

 

[drmikey]

Hello I am a FMG and was wondering what residency positions can I obtain with a Step 1 score of 195/80? Will be studying hard to improve on Step 2, but I hear Step 1 scores are used as cutoffs for residency.

Thanks in advance for any help.

with those scores you'll probably have some difficulty getting a residency anything other than IM or FP, but it also depends on how many programs you apply to. also, step II scores are extremely important. your medical education is not entirely just the first two years, a high step II score can really impress some pd's.

 

[daelroy]

with those scores you'll probably have some difficulty getting a residency anything other than IM or FP, but it also depends on how many programs you apply to. also, step II scores are extremely important. your medical education is not entirely just the first two years, a high step II score can really impress some pd's.

Not true, Psych is pretty much a guarantee and maybe even pathology

 

[drmikey]

Not true, Psych is pretty much a guarantee and maybe even pathology

psych is not comparable to IM or FP, there are many more positions available for IM or FP than for psych. i don't think psych is a guarantee, but it's very possible to get for an fmg with those scores. as far as pathology goes, it's a lot tougher to get a path residency now than it was three years ago. surgery is another residency that's becoming very difficult to get, unless one is willing to do preliminary.

 

[wytosk]

What is all involved in preliminary?

 

[drmikey]

What is all involved in preliminary?

preliminary means you're not there for your entire residency, unless they accept you after the preliminary year for the full lenght of the program. after the preliminary year is over you will have to reapply again, unless you were already accepted into some program which required you to do one year of something else before starting with that program. preliminary in a lot of programs is a very tough year, especially in surgery. since you're not there for the entire five years of the program, you might not get to scrub in on some cases and have more scut work to do. but this is not true for every program, some people have a very good learning experience during preliminary.