Step 1 scores for each school

[Archdelux]

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So, it seems that the step 1 score averages for each school aren't public - they only give them out at interviews. However, I doubt that a SINGLE school boasts anything lest than 'above the national mean'..How can I find out which of these schools are BSing us? For all the interviews I have had, everyone boasts their step 1 scores, but it's meaningless without some kind of rigorously-drafted list..

It seems that they can say whatever the hell they want and list it as a reason to attend their school... thoughts?

 

[LossForWords]

Maybe some schools report the first-try pass rate percentage and some report the second-try pass rate?

 

[lord_jeebus]

1. You can't tell, so don't worry about it.

2. Looking back at medical school, I can say that my Step I score had nothing to do with my school choice. That's not surprising because there is so much variation within schools compared to the small variation between schools. Step I is all about you. What was important was the clinical training I got at my school - that pays off every day during residency.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Do you look at MCAT scores when applying to college?

 

[doomknight]

Do you look at MCAT scores when applying to college?

Yes. I chose UMich over MSU for the very reason.

 

[Vihsadas]

Do you look at MCAT scores when applying to college?

It would be silly to do so...just like picking a medical school based on their USMLE average.

 

[scarletgirl777]

So, it seems that the step 1 score averages for each school aren't public - they only give them out at interviews. However, I doubt that a SINGLE school boasts anything lest than 'above the national mean'..How can I find out which of these schools are BSing us? For all the interviews I have had, everyone boasts their step 1 scores, but it's meaningless without some kind of rigorously-drafted list..

It seems that they can say whatever the hell they want and list it as a reason to attend their school... thoughts?

My theory is that the number of DO students taking the Step having taken a curriculum focusing on COMLEX depreciates the average such that almost every allopathic school in America is "above the national mean."

 

[bigman225]

Yes. I chose UMich over MSU for the very reason.

I can't blame you though, being another neurotic premed 🙂

 

[Law2Doc]

It would be silly to do so...just like picking a medical school based on their USMLE average.

That was his point. Schools by convention don't report USMLE scores, because if they did so, they would be hand-tied in terms of trying new things out in the curriculum. There would be no variation in classroom time, no trying out things like PBL, early clinical exposure, and whatever else is being tried out that academics think will help make folks better doctors. Every school would be identical and it would all be "teaching to the boards", like some of the offshore schools try to do, something all agree doesn't make you a better doctor. So schools want to be free to work through various educational changes, and don't want you to use board scores to select schools. As it stands now, all schools will cover the same material in some fashion that will give you a good foundation when going into board study, but the real studying for the boards is going to be your own effort. You will have access to the same First Aid, the same qbanks, the same board review series of books, and will spend 4-6 weeks studying hard over a summer, reinforcing and building on what you learned the prior 2 years. So board scores are really an individual effort, not something the school has a huge role in. To the extent some schools historically do better than others with any regularity, I would ascribe this success far more to admissions than teaching -- if you admit folks with the right combo of brains and work ethic, they will do better. The teaching is mostly self teaching, so self starter trumps better lecturers any day. Heck some folks who do really well never attend lectures.

And yes, from my experience ALL med schools are going to claim they have above (national) average board scores. There is no one able to question that, so they freely seem to say it. Half are lying. So I personally would ignore those comments.

 

[doomknight]

That was his point. Schools by convention don't report USMLE scores, because if they did so, they would be hand-tied in terms of trying new things out in the curriculum. There would be no variation in classroom time, no trying out things like PBL, early clinical exposure, and whatever else is being tried out that academics think will help make folks better doctors. Every school would be identical and it would all be "teaching to the boards", like some of the offshore schools try to do, something all agree doesn't make you a better doctor. So schools want to be free to work through various educational changes, and don't want you to use board scores to select schools. As it stands now, all schools will cover the same material in some fashion that will give you a good foundation when going into board study, but the real studying for the boards is going to be your own effort. You will have access to the same First Aid, the same qbanks, the same board review series of books, and will spend 4-6 weeks studying hard over a summer, reinforcing and building on what you learned the prior 2 years. So board scores are really an individual effort, not something the school has a huge role in. To the extent some schools historically do better than others with any regularity, I would ascribe this success far more to admissions than teaching -- if you admit folks with the right combo of brains and work ethic, they will do better. The teaching is mostly self teaching, so self starter trumps better lecturers any day. Heck some folks who do really well never attend lectures.

And yes, from my experience ALL med schools are going to claim they have above (national) average board scores. There is no one able to question that, so they freely seem to say it. Half are lying. So I personally would ignore those comments.

Not necessarily half, fyi

 

[Law2Doc]

Not necessarily half, fyi

True, but I'm assuming a fairly normal distribution.

 

[Blesbok]

1. You can't tell, so don't worry about it.

2. Looking back at medical school, I can say that my Step I score had nothing to do with my school choice. That's not surprising because there is so much variation within schools compared to the small variation between schools. Step I is all about you. What was important was the clinical training I got at my school - that pays off every day during residency.

I concur, doctor.

Willingness to work and learn make a much bigger difference than school choice.

 

[Vihsadas]

That was his point. Schools by convention don't report USMLE scores, because if they did so, they would be hand-tied in terms of trying new things out in the curriculum. There would be no variation in classroom time, no trying out things like PBL, early clinical exposure, and whatever else is being tried out that academics think will help make folks better doctors. Every school would be identical and it would all be "teaching to the boards", like some of the offshore schools try to do, something all agree doesn't make you a better doctor. So schools want to be free to work through various educational changes, and don't want you to use board scores to select schools. As it stands now, all schools will cover the same material in some fashion that will give you a good foundation when going into board study, but the real studying for the boards is going to be your own effort.

Yeah, I totally agree...
While the boards are important, you would lose a massive amount of the educational experience if schools were focusing specifically on making students pass the boards...interdisciplinary ventures, etc.
Just like the MCAT, if you have the background, it's up to you how much you want to study and how you want to do, you make your own future with the boards.