Step confirmed to remain SCORED for all test takers before Jan 2022

[yugimuto]

USMLE transcript doesn't equate to having the score show up on ERAS, unfortunately. It might still get masked for everyone and even if it doesn't, it will almost assuredly be masked for some programs, and there has already been talk by some PD's of using masking during the process to help evaluate their new algorithms for evaluating candidates in an era of P/F step 1.

I find it hard to believe that PDs will hide scores that are in an application. Although people want to change and move step1 to a p/f system, most PDs are old school and will go with the status quo until they do not have the scores available to them.

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[esob]

I find it hard to believe that PDs will hide scores that are in an application. Although people want to change and move step1 to a p/f system, most PDs are old school and will go with the status quo until they do not have the scores available to them.

Our AMA rep informed us at the latest meeting that many PD's have already noted that they will be doing this. They might be old school but the only way to know if your new algorithm is working is to test it out by masking the scores. I've known of a few medschool adcom members that won't look at an MCAT score until after they've made a decision on an applicant, so this sort of thing isn't something new.

 

[aaronrodgers]

USMLE transcript doesn't equate to having the score show up on ERAS, unfortunately. It might still get masked for everyone and even if it doesn't, it will almost assuredly be masked for some programs, and there has already been talk by some PD's of using masking during the process to help evaluate their new algorithms for evaluating candidates in an era of P/F step 1.

If this is the case then today’s announcement would be extremely misleading - arguably intentionally misleading. The reason anyone cares about this is because we want our scores to be seen on ERAS. We could not care less if the transcript itself has a 3 digit score if all that shows up on ERAS is still a P in the end.

 

[scienceguy95]

I feel really, really bad for the folks who will have their Pass compared to a 250 for competitive residencies. Seems like a massive disadvantage.

Ok I’ve seen you post on this topic in other threads and it seems like you attend a top 5 school based on your prolific post history. It seems your empathy is correspondingly a bit one sided here — it is no secret students from top schools will benefit the most from p/f and even more so with masking. How about feeling bad for students who chose not to spend a fortune on a top school, crushed the boards, and dealt with the prospect of having that hard work wiped away?

And just to get it out there, yeah I did well on Step 1, but I’m class of 2022 so none of this effects me anyway.

 

[efle]

Ok I’ve seen you post on this topic in other threads and it seems like you attend a top 5 school based on your prolific post history. It seems your empathy is correspondingly a bit one sided here — it is no secret students from top schools will benefit the most from p/f and even more so with masking. How about feeling bad for students who chose not to spend a fortune on a top school, crushed the boards, and dealt with the prospect of having that hard work wiped away?

And just to get it out there, yeah I did well on Step 1, but I’m class of 2022 so none of this effects me anyway.

It's not my peers in class years under my I'm empathizing with. People will match fine from my school with a Pass. I'm also an MS4 so this has zero impact on me or my close friends

It's the typical USMD with Pass interested in fields like Ortho who I think might have their outcome negatively impacted, through no error of their own

 

[M&L]

Ok , so , basically we still don’t know what will happen when we apply . Well , personally, I will study as if it is graded and that’s it . I will deal with everything else later, you know ?

 

[Kardio]

Ok , so , basically we still don’t know what will happen when we apply . Well , personally, I will study as if it is graded and that’s it . I will deal with everything else later, you know ?

Honestly, I may also prepare like my exam will be scored. With a statement like “No earlier than January 2022,” it’s entirely possible they push P/F forward by ~4 months.

 

[Kardio]

ITT

 

[tri99]

Honestly, I may also prepare like my exam will be scored. With a statement like “No earlier than January 2022,” it’s entirely possible they push P/F forward by ~4 months.

That's my plan as well. If it is scored, I have prepared accordingly. If it is P/F, I have reinforced lecture material and I have a head start on step 2 studying. Win/Win

 

[ExcitatorySynapse]

It will matter. PD's are going to look at all available data.

Do you reckon this will be true, in say, 2025, when I'll likely be applying? I feel like PDs will be indifferent by then.

Anyway I would've personally preferred a strategy where they chose to mask for everyone applying for match after a certain year, so it would affect a class neatly as opposed to this haphazard mixture.

 

[Lawpy]

Do you reckon this will be true, in say, 2025, when I'll likely be applying? I feel like PDs will be indifferent by then.

Anyway I would've personally preferred a strategy where they chose to mask for everyone applying for match after a certain year, so it would affect a class neatly as opposed to this haphazard mixture.

Masking doesn't make sense with the announcement of keeping Steps scored. Might as well convert Step to P/F now. Or retroactively convert Step scores to P/F 2024 and after or so

 

[gyngyn]

Do you reckon this will be true, in say, 2025, when I'll likely be applying? I feel like PDs will be indifferent by then.

PD's will never be indifferent to scores.

 

[efle]

PD's will never be indifferent to scores.

Were you surprised by this decision? The NRMP surveys make it pretty clear that displaying a strong Step 1 score is a big advantage, compared to "somewhere above 5th percentile"

 

[gyngyn]

Were you surprised by this decision? The NRMP surveys make it pretty clear that displaying a strong Step 1 score is a big advantage, compared to "somewhere above 5th percentile"

I was not at all surprised.

 

[MedLife20]

Wtf they taking so long to announce when they will be going p/f?

 

[deleted804295]

It's about having control over your destiny more than anything. I think having the choice to work towards a score that can play a large part in securing your future is why people feel good about this.

Idk about your class but I'm going to be relaxing a lot more than if it were scored.

So glad we get P/F

 

[deleted804295]

I feel really, really bad for the folks who will have their Pass compared to a 250 for competitive residencies. Seems like a massive disadvantage.

That's only an issue for Co'23

 

[slowthai]

Idk about your class but I'm going to be relaxing a lot more than if it were scored.

So glad we get P/F

Whoa whoa whoa, hold your horses there, skippy. You'll be relaxing until you're three years deep pursuing plastics and you find out your step 2 isn't competitive enough and there's no other step score to balance it out and it's too late to take a research year and you haven't decided on a backup and OMG OMG OMG

 

[deleted804295]

Whoa whoa whoa, hold your horses there, skippy. You'll be relaxing until you're three years deep pursuing plastics and you find out your step 2 isn't competitive enough and there's no other step score to balance it out and it's too late to take a research year and you haven't decided on a backup and OMG OMG OMG

I have like 10 backups and I dont care for any pure surgical fields

 

[slowthai]

I have like 10 backups and I dont care for any pure surgical fields

You say that now, but at least 75% of medical students change their minds about what specialty they want to do, so you truly never know. Even the die hard neurosurg gang end up switching at a rate of 70%. You just need one cool mentor to trick you into doing plastic surgery, and you'll be changing your tune

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

You say that now, but about 75% of medical students change their minds about what specialty they want to do, so you truly never know. Even the die hard neurosurg gang end up switching at a rate of 70%. You just need one cool mentor to trick you into doing plastic surgery, and you'll be changing your tune

I changed my mind like 4 times in one conversation yesterday.

 

[Kardio]

I feel really, really bad for the folks who will have their Pass compared to a 250 for competitive residencies. Seems like a massive disadvantage.

That's only an issue for Co'23

Nah @Sunbodi , it’s an issue for our year (24).

Imagine that a C/O 23 student gets a scored Step 1, takes a research year, and suddenly joins the C/O 24. They apply with scored, us with P/F.

 

[slowthai]

Nah @Sunbodi , it’s an issue for our year (24).

Imagine that a C/O 23 student gets a scored Step 1, takes a research year, and suddenly joins the C/O 24. They apply with scored, us with P/F.

To be fair, it's a much smaller cohort of people that will be able to take advantage of this for your ERAS cycle than for ours. It'll only be the derm/plastics/nsg gunners from the class of 23 that will be able to do this.

People in my class that take it after third year (and get a P) will not only be competing with those of us that take it scored, but the people from the class of 22 taking research years as well.

 

[deleted804295]

Nah @Sunbodi , it’s an issue for our year (24).

Imagine that a C/O 23 student gets a scored Step 1, takes a research year, and suddenly joins the C/O 24. They apply with scored, us with P/F.

These students were already cream of the crop. They're not stealing seats from anyone.

Anyways, the vast majority of students do not take research years so this isn't really an issue.

 

[Crassus]

Starting to wonder if taking a research year for the class of 2024 might be advantageous to avoid competing with people who have scores (assuming it goes P/F soon after 2022). This is even more concerning for people who take step 1 during M3.

 

[Matthew9Thirtyfive]

Starting to wonder if taking a research year for the class of 2024 might be advantageous to avoid competing with people who have scores (assuming it goes P/F soon after 2022). This is even more concerning for people who take step 1 during M3.

Personally I don’t think it would be worth it. The number of people who will be in your match year with scores will be pretty small.

 

[Kardio]

To be fair, it's a much smaller cohort of people that will be able to take advantage of this for your ERAS cycle than for ours. It'll only be the derm/plastics/nsg gunners from the class of 23 that will be able to do this.

People in my class that take it after third year (and get a P) will not only be competing with those of us that take it scored, but the people from the class of 22 taking research years as well.

True. I wasn’t even considering the ones who take it M3.

 

[slowthai]

I reckon we'll be seeing a whole lot of research assistants and people on aways bailing on their responsibilities or slacking hard once they get their step 2 scores back. It'll be interesting to see. This p/f thing just delays the stress for a year or two and screws with timing. You've got little room to maneuver if things don't go as planned. This will increase stress levels even more than they were/are. It's a net negative for everyone involved.

 

[PumpernickelCloudberry]

How does this affect MD/PhD students who have scores already but won't be applying to residency until 2023 or later? Will residency directors still pay attention to the scores or disregard them? What about for research track residencies?

 

[Lawpy]

Some fellowship programs (e.g. cards, GI) apparently have Step 1 cutoffs, which is strange and depressing. I'm at least now happier Step 1 went P/F.

 

[slowthai]

Some fellowship programs (e.g. cards, GI) apparently have Step 1 cutoffs, which is strange and depressing. I'm at least now happier Step 1 went P/F.

I agree that it's extremely strange at the fellowship level. They don't give a crap about step scores in surgical sub fellowships. But they're just going to use step 2 cutoffs instead, honestly.