Step 2 kept me from matching

[Wowzers]

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I want all of your input on this....Step I, studied hard got a good score...244. Step II, "everyone does better on it" "three weeks is all you need" "just run through Uworld once and you will be fine". Unfortunately I had to take it during interview season and didn't get three dedicated weeks of straight studying, but intermittent boluses of uworld which I almost finished. Took it late Dec..just got it back ....215....inexplicable


Am I dead? Is every PD on the trail who said I should have no problem matching and would be happy to have me at their program now going to forget my name? I realize what's done is done(also had the good idea to automatically release my results, MISTAKE!) but can someone reassure me that Step II still does not matter that much and that programs don't even really look at it. ...or otherwise.

 

[Bradstein]

I think you have to post a passing score before they submit rank lists. I don't think most places are going to care, but I never asked any PDs or faculty how step 2 factored into interview invites or ranking.

 

[Trastuz]

I think you have to post a passing score before they submit rank lists. I don't think most places are going to care, but I never asked any PDs or faculty how step 2 factored into interview invites or ranking.

This is definitely not true. Several of my friends last year who did 250+ on Step 1 didn't take Step 2 (either CK or CS) until after the match. I don't know who requires it to rank but it's definitely not everywhere and from what I can gather it's probably only UCSF. It might help at other places though?

To the OP: your score doesn't get "pushed" to programs, it just becomes available for download. Some programs may never get on ERAS and update/re-download your app. That might save you at some places.

 

[XerxesOfPersia]

Yeah just about everywhere you don't need CK for ranking, but UCSF is a well-known exception. I think it's an institution-wide thing there.

Trastuz is right - programs have to go onto ERAS and download updates. When my Step 2 CK came back around this time last cycle, I emailed programs to tell them the info is available on ERAS and only ~50% updated my application and who knows if they even looked at it, let alone factored it into my ranking.

As for being "dead" or PD's "forgetting your name" - no. I doubt this score will have a major effect and I'd be shocked if it prevented you from matching, as your thread title implies. Maybe some slight variation in your ranking if the PDs take the time to update your app and review it in enough detail to notice.

 

[radsradsrads]

Just to give you a little hope, my good friend got 203 or something on step 2, released it, and got UCLA anesthesiology. Not the end of the world.

 

[MossPoh]

If you released it before interviews, then it may hurt you a little but this late in the game, it won't do much. Lots of people take it later.

I've found that Step 2 CK is a pretty low stakes exam. If you do really well, if can get you a few interviews and if you don't then they just shrug it off and move on. If you were a FMG/IMG, then yes, it could be an app killer.

 

[radsradsrads]

He uses some interesting phrasing in the post title. "It kept me from matching" is already accepting failure when he has no reason to make that assumption. That kind of negativity is what will really mess you up.