Step II question

[RWillan]

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Hi everyone. I have just finished my MSIII year and am going to be a research fellow in dermatology over the next year before I begin my fourth year. My question is regarding when I should take Step II.

Here is what I've been thinking about:
Step I: 240
Pre-Clinical: about 75% honors (not really important)
Clinical: 2-4/6 honors...still waiting on two grades. But honors already in surgery and medicine.
Will have strong letters for derm.
My school matches pretty well in derm.

Now if I was to take Step II sooner rather than later it would be sometime in early/mid June and then I would start my research year. If I waited I would take it likely after the match, probably in mid April of 2013.

If I think about regardless of convenience it seems to me that waiting would be the safest bet--not that I think I wont do well on Step II, but everyone can have a bad day and it's more likely that it wont really change the strength of my application either way.

The drawbacks of waiting are that I have 6 or 7 weeks now vs 4 weeks (which will be after match), everything is fresh now vs 2 years from now and I would be forfeiting all the California schools which maybe in 2 years I could regret.

Any words of wisdom? Or other pros/cons I should be considering?

Thanks.

 

[hot sauce]

I'd recommend taking it this summer. All of third year is fresh in your mind while in two years (if you're taking it in 2013) things like ob/gyn are going to be pretty foggy. Also, you aren't going to want to be studying for step 2 after match.

Now of course this means your step 2 will be available to program directors when applying so if you bomb it that would be bad. But you have done well on shelf exams in third year so if you take 6 weeks to prepare you should be able to rock it.

 

[OveractiveBrain]

I'd recommend taking it this summer. All of third year is fresh in your mind while in two years (if you're taking it in 2013) things like ob/gyn are going to be pretty foggy. Also, you aren't going to want to be studying for step 2 after match.

Now of course this means your step 2 will be available to program directors when applying so if you bomb it that would be bad. But you have done well on shelf exams in third year so if you take 6 weeks to prepare you should be able to rock it.

I agree.

(1) Its all fresh now
(2) Step I isn't stellar (for derm, I think its pretty good)
(3) Step II usually is 10 points higher, if not more (especially with 6 weeks)
(4) You have more time to make a better impact now than later with no impact
(5) Derm is hard as **** to get into. "Saving time" to do something "fun now" may not be worth you not getting derm. I've seen 276 Step I and AOA president (i.e. # 1 in the class) not get Derm.

I'd study your butt off and take it this summer.