Step 2 and EM application

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SeekerOfTheTree

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Hello,

Does anyone have any idea when to take Step 2 if you want to get into EM? I asked a program director and she said she doesn't grant interviews till she sees you have passed Step 2. Is this something that is common? I don't want to take Step 2 early and possibly screw myself with a poor score because I did pretty well on Step 1. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

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The answer will depend on the program so I obviously can't speak for all of them. Definitely find out the answer for your top programs if not all the ones to which you will be applying. With that said, I don't think it's a common thing. To be honest, it didn't even cross my mind. I have not taken Step 2 yet and I have 11 interviews.
 
Advice regarding timing of Step 2 seems to vary by PD. I've asked the EM PD at my school about this, and he told me that I should definitely wait to take Step 2 and let the strength of my Step 1 score carry me through the application. My Step 1 score is good (above average for EM), but nothing spectacular.
 
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Totally program specific. Some of the Cali school "claim" to not offer interviews until they have a step 2 score.

All this is hearsay, as above call the program and get an official word
 
Some of the Cali school "claim" to not offer interviews until they have a step 2 score.

Cali EM programs, or just residencies in general? UCSF IM is the main one I've heard of doing this. I can't recall hearing of any schools outside of California with such a requirement either.

Another variation on this is programs interviewing but not ranking you without a passing Step 2 score.

This has been a topic of discussion among MD/PhD programs for several years since we are typically more pressed for time upon returning to medical school and often take Step 2 late.
 
Yeah this was a program in MI where they told me this. When would be the ideal time to take step 2 if you have a good step 1 score and want EM. I was thinking of doing aways in EM for the first two months of fourth year so I really would be unable to study for Step 2.
 
Yeah this was a program in MI where they told me this. When would be the ideal time to take step 2 if you have a good step 1 score and want EM. I was thinking of doing aways in EM for the first two months of fourth year so I really would be unable to study for Step 2.

If Step 1 is good, it might not be much of an issue.
All things being equal, you would be better off doing Step 2 early as long as you can get a similar score.

I put it off until late Nov and it was only brought up at one place I interviewed.
Just that they want to see my score before doing their rank list.

It might have hurt me at some other places where I got rejected or never heard back from.
Who knows?

I got interviews at all my top choices without Step 2, and I have an average Step 1. (real average, not SDN average 250).
 
If Step 1 is good, it might not be much of an issue.
All things being equal, you would be better off doing Step 2 early as long as you can get a similar score.

I put it off until late Nov and it was only brought up at one place I interviewed.
Just that they want to see my score before doing their rank list.

It might have hurt me at some other places where I got rejected or never heard back from.
Who knows?

I got interviews at all my top choices without Step 2, and I have an average Step 1. (real average, not SDN average 250).

Lol. Thanks for keeping it real man. I think I am going to hold off on Step 1 till around then too because I don't want to risk getting a poor Step 2 score and screwing myself.
 
Lol. Thanks for keeping it real man. I think I am going to hold off on Step 1 till around then too because I don't want to risk getting a poor Step 2 score and screwing myself.
I think we are in similar positions. I was thinking of doing two EM rotations july and august to get the SLORs and crap in order and then taking sept off with about 2 or so weeks of study time, taking the booger and then taking a 2 week vacation. Not sure if this is a good plan or not. My step 1 score was also solid.
 
I think we are in similar positions. I was thinking of doing two EM rotations july and august to get the SLORs and crap in order and then taking sept off with about 2 or so weeks of study time, taking the booger and then taking a 2 week vacation. Not sure if this is a good plan or not. My step 1 score was also solid.

We are in the same boat then. If I remember Winkleweizen from the Step 1 forum, you blew that thing out of the water! I just hope I can get geographically where I want to match or else I might be tempted to run myself over with my car.
 
Cali EM programs, or just residencies in general? UCSF IM is the main one I've heard of doing this. I can't recall hearing of any schools outside of California with such a requirement either.

Another variation on this is programs interviewing but not ranking you without a passing Step 2 score.

These were Cali EM programs, I called around. In some ways it makes sense, given the numbers of people trying to go there. Just another way to filter. Who knows?
BTW, I have no idea what other programs do. While I am sure some have gotten interviews without their step 2. I felt that it helped my app, and already had an above average step 1 for EM.

Of note the UCSF website cites that applicants must have a passing CK score prior to Feb 15, so that falls in line with the ranking business. Only using UCSF as example because it was referenced earlier.

A disclaimer though is that if your app is attractive to a program, I doubt that not having taken CK will matter.
 
I did average on step I and was told it would be beneficial to place an improvement on Step II prior to interviewing; specifically my adviser told me I'd match with out it but some of the more competitive programs wouldn't have interest without a really good Step II. I improved by 24 points and it came up a couple of times on interviews already that I showed initiative. Don't know if that is a help for you or not. I think it varies by school whether or not they even look at it.
 
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I was planning to take the first month of 4th year off and get Step 2 out of the way. I figure I'll never be in a better position to take it than right after all of the core rotations, the review will put me on a solid foundation heading into my EM rotations, and it will mean no longer having to worry about material outside of EM or whatever rotation I'm on.

Apart from the chance of doing poorly on it, is there any downside to taking it early? It would push back whatever EM rotations you plan to do, but does that matter if you're still getting face time before September/November?
 
I was planning to take the first month of 4th year off and get Step 2 out of the way. I figure I'll never be in a better position to take it than right after all of the core rotations, the review will put me on a solid foundation heading into my EM rotations, and it will mean no longer having to worry about material outside of EM or whatever rotation I'm on.

Apart from the chance of doing poorly on it, is there any downside to taking it early? It would push back whatever EM rotations you plan to do, but does that matter if you're still getting face time before September/November?
The only downside is that if you wait to take step 2 until after your application is submitted, you can choose to see the score before it's sent to programs. If you take it earlier, then it's automatically submitted. Our deans suggest that if you did well on step 1, take step 2 after September. If you didn't do as well as you wanted, take step 2 earlier and rock it.

ETA: Also, you'll actually be most prepared to take step 2 after your EM rotations. The test is heavily EM-based, and I was able to do really well without studying very much by just taking it after my 2 sub-i's.
 
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The advice I've gotten about step 2 from faculty is to take it after apps are in given a good step score because basically no program requires it....any notable 3 year programs require step 2?

Also..can anyone see any problem with taking it at the end of April of 4th year (basically a month before graduation)?
 
The advice I've gotten about step 2 from faculty is to take it after apps are in given a good step score because basically no program requires it....any notable 3 year programs require step 2?

Also..can anyone see any problem with taking it at the end of April of 4th year (basically a month before graduation)?

Couple issues with taking it that late.
Does your school require it for graduation or have a specific timeline?

Some programs may not "require" Step 2, but want to see a score.
Without a passing score, you can't start residency.
From their standpoint, why take a chance when they have 100 other applicants who already passed that hurdle?

Your motivation to study will be ZERO late in the year.

I took it in November and was asked on several interviews about it.
Some said they highly use Step 2 in ranking candidates.

I'd just take it early. If you did well on Step 1, chances are you will be fine for Step 2.

If you are going to put it off, contact each program that you are really interested in and get direct feedback.
 
Couple issues with taking it that late.
Does your school require it for graduation or have a specific timeline?

Some programs may not "require" Step 2, but want to see a score.
Without a passing score, you can't start residency.
From their standpoint, why take a chance when they have 100 other applicants who already passed that hurdle?

Your motivation to study will be ZERO late in the year.

I took it in November and was asked on several interviews about it.
Some said they highly use Step 2 in ranking candidates.

I'd just take it early. If you did well on Step 1, chances are you will be fine for Step 2.

If you are going to put it off, contact each program that you are really interested in and get direct feedback.

Thanks for the advice.

Would taking the exam at the end of October allow me to submit the score only if it was favorable? Because by that point my application would be submitted... or do scores automatically go through?

Also - I am going to take January off for interviews (I have a rotation in Nov/Dec). Does it make sense to ALSO take October (either half or all of october) off for interviews, or will interviews not start that early?

I am considering taking October off for interviews as well as step 2...

Another option is to take it at the end of January or mid February..will that pose the same concerns you mentioned above, or will programs see that it was taken before match day and be satisfied?

Lastly - will using my January interview month to study for Step 2 as wel as do a bulk of my interviews be a smart idea, or will interviews suck up so much time that studying won't be feasible?
 
Thanks for the advice.

Would taking the exam at the end of October allow me to submit the score only if it was favorable? Because by that point my application would be submitted... or do scores automatically go through?

Yes. As long as you choose the manual release option for Step scores on ERAS you can control what/when things get released.

Also - I am going to take January off for interviews (I have a rotation in Nov/Dec). Does it make sense to ALSO take October (either half or all of october) off for interviews, or will interviews not start that early?

No, that will be a waste of time. There is a chance that you might get 1 interview in October but it's pretty small. The interview season is generally mid-November to late January with a small tail on each end.

I am considering taking October off for interviews as well as step 2...

As above, that's a waste of a month. Take 2 weeks off (which is still about 10 days too long to study for Step 2) or just schedule a super easy month ("History of Medicine" was a popular one at my school). Don't waste a whole month on Step 2.

Another option is to take it at the end of January or mid February..will that pose the same concerns you mentioned above, or will programs see that it was taken before match day and be satisfied?

They will mostly be satisfied by that. But you will be burned out by interviewing at that point and will have a very hard time giving a s*** about Step 2.

Lastly - will using my January interview month to study for Step 2 as wel as do a bulk of my interviews be a smart idea, or will interviews suck up so much time that studying won't be feasible?

If you're going to try to cram 10-15 interviews into January alone you won't get much Step 2 studying done. Again, a week is more than enough to study but you'll probably be distracted by interviews/travel and whatever studying you don't won't be very focused.
 
Thanks for the advice.

Would taking the exam at the end of October allow me to submit the score only if it was favorable? Because by that point my application would be submitted... or do scores automatically go through?

Also - I am going to take January off for interviews (I have a rotation in Nov/Dec). Does it make sense to ALSO take October (either half or all of october) off for interviews, or will interviews not start that early?

I am considering taking October off for interviews as well as step 2...

Another option is to take it at the end of January or mid February..will that pose the same concerns you mentioned above, or will programs see that it was taken before match day and be satisfied?

Lastly - will using my January interview month to study for Step 2 as wel as do a bulk of my interviews be a smart idea, or will interviews suck up so much time that studying won't be feasible?

I took it late, but in retrospect I probably would have taken in much earlier.
The knowledge from core rotations slips away the longer you wait (at least for me).

You will probably not have many interviews in October; maybe none.
If you are going to take one month off for interviews I'd suggest December.

If you can take a light rotation and buckle down with studying, no real need to take off for Step 2 studying.

Also, I'd take CS early on the off chance that you fail. It takes a long time for the score to come back and you need time to retake and pass before rank lists are put in.
 
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