Step 2's

[kanapen]

Hey everybody-

I'm on the cusp of being a fourth year, and was trying to plan out my year. I'm stuck when it comes to figuring out the best time to take step 2s. How much importance is given to step 2s in neuro? Since it recently switched from the early match to the later match, does that mean that programs are pretty varied when it comes to the importance that they put on Step 2s? I read in the FAQs that it's optional... but I dunno, I guess I can be paranoid when it comes to some of this ambiguous stuff (optional? optional to average me, or Mr. 270 on step 1???)

I'm scheduled to do a few away electives at some of the places that I intend on applying to, so I'm hoping that they can give me feedback. Perhaps calling the programs and asking directly would help too... agh, can't wait til 3rd year's over to do all that stuff. Anyway, if anybody's got some input, please fill me in. Thanks.

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[werewethere]

Hey everybody-

I'm on the cusp of being a fourth year, and was trying to plan out my year. I'm stuck when it comes to figuring out the best time to take step 2s. How much importance is given to step 2s in neuro? Since it recently switched from the early match to the later match, does that mean that programs are pretty varied when it comes to the importance that they put on Step 2s? I read in the FAQs that it's optional... but I dunno, I guess I can be paranoid when it comes to some of this ambiguous stuff (optional? optional to average me, or Mr. 270 on step 1???)

I'm scheduled to do a few away electives at some of the places that I intend on applying to, so I'm hoping that they can give me feedback. Perhaps calling the programs and asking directly would help too... agh, can't wait til 3rd year's over to do all that stuff. Anyway, if anybody's got some input, please fill me in. Thanks.

I'm assuming that you have a reasonable step 1 score for neuro, which means somewhere around the mean +-1 standard deviation. If you are above that, don't bother taking it until December at the earliest. If you are below it, prepare for it and take it early. Usually away rotations are as important as step 2 scores, so I'd focus on that. You can always take it in the middle of Fall, if you are ready, and hold the release of the score, so if it's higher than step 1 you can release it, and if it's lower, you can hold the score out of the application.

 

[Methyldopa]

I did well on Step 1 and elected to do Step 2 early. There was definitely a lot more pressure doing step 2, but I ended up doing better. I felt I wanted to added another postive thing to my application.

It was a risky thing to do.

So it's really up to you, but doing well on Step 2 will help.

 

[kanapen]

thanks for the advice... it's a little bit more settling to think that I'm not doing something flagrantly dumb by not taking boards right now. Take that peer pressure!