Step score--terrible :(

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Obnoxious Dad said:
Go to this link:
http://www.nrmp.org/data/chartingoutcomes2009v3.pdf

See page 206. You have a 95% chance of matching into peds.🙂
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OP was specifically concerned about Texas. I'm not sure if Texas is anymore competitive than anywhere else, though considering their physician friendly tort laws I imagine it could be. In any case, you should have no problem matching somewhere as long as you do well in your clinical years. Peds is one of those specialties where your personality and general ability are more important than objective measures of scientific knowledge.
 
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Yes. I know someone with a 203 and barely passing grades who got into one of the TOP pediatrics residency programs.
 
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To make up for my terrible Step I score, I'm thinking of taking the COMLEX I. Would I be eligible to do so considering I go to an MD school?
 
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PediatricsRocks said:
To make up for my terrible Step I score, I'm thinking of taking the COMLEX I. Would I be eligible to do so considering I go to an MD school?
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uhhh, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but don't you need to study OMM to do the COMLEX? I think you need to calm down and just study hard for the Step 2 next time around. Things will be okay.
 
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-I can study OMM on my own time.
-How can things be okay when I just messed up on THE MOST IMPORTANT test of my life? This score is going to be a burden on my shoulders FOR THE REST OF MY F'g LIFE. I don't have anything good in my life anymore. Even Step 2 isn't as important as Step 1. I HATE MY LIFE.
 
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Whoaaaa there. Pull yourself out of crisis mode and step back from the ledge. You passed. You won't be going into Ortho or Derm, but this exam score is not going to stop you from going into Peds. You may think it is the most awesome specialty ever, but due to the low salaries and large multitude of positions it is not a competitive residency. If you just want to be a general pediatrician, your score will not matter at all after residency. When you are a doctor, no one will care about your SAT, your MCAT, or your USMLE score. As long as you have a diploma and a license, no one will know the difference.
 
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Probably not. It theoretically could have an effect, but it is unlikely. As has been said before, in peds they really care about how good you are as a doctor. Just do that little thing well and you'll be fine.
 
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PediatricsRocks said:
-I can study OMM on my own time.
-How can things be okay when I just messed up on THE MOST IMPORTANT test of my life? This score is going to be a burden on my shoulders FOR THE REST OF MY F'g LIFE. I don't have anything good in my life anymore. Even Step 2 isn't as important as Step 1. I HATE MY LIFE.
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to give COMLEX, you HAVE to be in DO school.

DO schools register u with NBOME for COMLEX which then send u code to schedule.

work hard on Step 2 and try to get atleast 10-15% more than step1.

I will be trying to do same.
 
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It just sort of hit me why this system sucks balls.

The main test we take that determines what we are competitive for is typically taken before you do any rotations.

Now this guy is probably competitive for peds programs, and probably prepared for the step with that in mind. So what if he does his 3rd year rotations and decides he hates peds and loves radiology?

Could he have gotten a better score on the step and landed a radiology spot if he had that in mind from the beginning? Probably.

Can he do that now? An uphill battle for sure.
 
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lol no, trust me, I LOVE peds. I am currently on a pediatric subspecialty rotation and I am loving it. I also have enough clinical experience with adults to know that I don't want to work with them.

Let me tell you, on my practices I scored MUCH higher. It's just that I totally freaked out for this test, barely slept for a few days straight, then let others pressure me into going ahead and taking it instead of postponing it because "it was better to get it out of the way." I know I missed REALLY easy questions, give-away points with my level of knowledge, simply because of my mental state. For the Step2 I plan to be on sleeping medications AND anti-anxiety meds so that the same thing doesn't happen to me again.
 
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Besides not being able to take COMLEX to begin with as an MD student.... you wouldn't want to. I considered USMLE to be a much more well written test, just my 2 cents.

That said, I agree with the others. Take a deep breath, relax, focus on the fact that you passed the first time around. So you didn't do incredible, can't change that now. Focus on doing well on rotations, make some good connections, work on getting excellent LORs, and focus on doing well on Step 2, even consider taking Step 2 a little early if you can do well on it so that programs see that score when you apply.
 
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TexasTriathlete said:
It just sort of hit me why this system sucks balls.

The main test we take that determines what we are competitive for is typically taken before you do any rotations.

Now this guy is probably competitive for peds programs, and probably prepared for the step with that in mind. So what if he does his 3rd year rotations and decides he hates peds and loves radiology?

Could he have gotten a better score on the step and landed a radiology spot if he had that in mind from the beginning? Probably.

Can he do that now? An uphill battle for sure.
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That's why everyone should aim for a perfect score.
 
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BigRedder said:
That's why everyone should aim for a perfect score.
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Easier said than done. This test is a beyotch, and studying for it requires some serious focus and dedication. If you don't have a sense of urgency, then it is hard to put in that kind of time, even if you think you're trying to.
 
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TexasTriathlete said:
Easier said than done. This test is a beyotch, and studying for it requires some serious focus and dedication. If you don't have a sense of urgency, then it is hard to put in that kind of time, even if you think you're trying to.
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True enough. I just hate when people say they are aiming for a 220 or whatever because they don't want to do anything competitive. There is no way of knowing exactly how much studying is necessary for a certain score, so just do your best!
 
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BigRedder said:
True enough. I just hate when people say they are aiming for a 220 or whatever because they don't want to do anything competitive. There is no way of knowing exactly how much studying is necessary for a certain score, so just do your best!
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You'd be surprised how many people are content to just pass.

Possibly a little different at my school, since it is osteopathic, with a lot of people who want to go into primary care. In theory, anyway. But I know a good number of people who are pretty smart, but aren't looking to blow the doors off these exams.

To each their own.
 
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BigRedder said:
True enough. I just hate when people say they are aiming for a 220 or whatever because they don't want to do anything competitive. There is no way of knowing exactly how much studying is necessary for a certain score, so just do your best!
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I'm with you on this one. While I was studying I convinced myself/pretended in my mind that I was very interested in Derm so I would shoot for a very high score.

I can understand people not wanting to kill themselves over this exam (although it is the biggest one by far of our school careers esp since you can't retake it) but there's a difference from not going overboard and rationalizing not putting a full effort. It's a little troubling that some people (not speaking about OP but people I know personally) put in less effort than they were capable of. The specialty argument is just a cop out, no matter what field you want to go, type of program, location, whatever it doesn't hurt to have a better score and you should want to do your best

I do realize Step 1 says little of how good a doctor someone is going to be and I hope the lack of concern/urgency/"I can just get by" is specific to the test and not in general because medicine requires life-long learning.
 
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I do hope that no one is implying that I didn't study hard enough...I did MUCH better on practices that I did on the actual thing, but I got terrible test anxiety on the actual thing.
 
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It just sort of hit me why this system sucks balls.

The main test we take that determines what we are competitive for is typically taken before you do any rotations.

Now this guy is probably competitive for peds programs, and probably prepared for the step with that in mind. So what if he does his 3rd year rotations and decides he hates peds and loves radiology?

Could he have gotten a better score on the step and landed a radiology spot if he had that in mind from the beginning? Probably.

Can he do that now? An uphill battle for sure.
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the same thing could be said about the MCAT and it determining the future of many applicants. The MCAT assesses students' academic abilities before they get their hands on any solid medical science knowledge (just as Step I assesses students before rotations). And while it is possible to retake the MCAT with a passing score (unlike the Steps), I feel the matter tested on it is not relevant to medical school.

Does that mean we should do away with all standardized tests used in the process of becoming a doctor - no (although the MCAT should be be revamped IMO). Its all about cutoffs.

To the OP - your score is competitive for some of the best Peds programs in the US; granted its lower than the average, but make up for it by performing well on rotations and getting a decent score on step II.
 
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PediatricsRocks said:
I do hope that no one is implying that I didn't study hard enough...I did MUCH better on practices that I did on the actual thing, but I got terrible test anxiety on the actual thing.
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Don't worry, we aren't talking about you anymore! Just general conversation about why people get low scores in general.

Test anxiety is probably something you should take care of, since it can translate into performance anxiety during your rotations. Stress management!
 
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Thanks for the advice, I am getting it taken care of. But so far it hasn't been a problem in rotations--I actually got really good reviews during my halfway point feedback session and the pt presentation I've done so far went pretty well too. Let's just see how things go on other rotations though lol.
 
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PediatricsRocks said:
I do hope that no one is implying that I didn't study hard enough...I did MUCH better on practices that I did on the actual thing, but I got terrible test anxiety on the actual thing.
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I was talking more in general than about you specifically. I don't know you and I have no idea why you got what you got. But that's still along the same lines... sometimes its just not your day.

The MCAT is the same way. I can't remember the last time I saw a nucleophile or a box sliding down a triangle.

I don't have a solution to it though. No, we can't exactly just do away with the tests.
 
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A lot of people didn't do as well as they wanted on the step. No point in dwelling on it, move on. One of my classmates was averaging 250 on NBMEs and UW and got a lower score than you. It just is what it is. Pick yourself up and move on with your life. After you get into residency no one will care about your step score.
 
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op, buddy you sound a little like a ticking time bomb:boom:
you gotta chill wit the med talk, b.
those sleeping pills and anti-anx. meds aint gonna do ur mems. no good if u use em for step 2. just relax playboy...do practice exams and sack up man...u cool....eazy👍
 
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drizzt3117 said:
A lot of people didn't do as well as they wanted on the step. No point in dwelling on it, move on. One of my classmates was averaging 250 on NBMEs and UW and got a lower score than you. It just is what it is. Pick yourself up and move on with your life. After you get into residency no one will care about your step score.
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That's not true - I ask ALL of my doctors what they got on step 1. If they say anything less than 250 I walk out of the room immediately.
 
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TexasTriathlete said:
It just sort of hit me why this system sucks balls.

The main test we take that determines what we are competitive for is typically taken before you do any rotations.

Now this guy is probably competitive for peds programs, and probably prepared for the step with that in mind. So what if he does his 3rd year rotations and decides he hates peds and loves radiology?

Could he have gotten a better score on the step and landed a radiology spot if he had that in mind from the beginning? Probably.

Can he do that now? An uphill battle for sure.
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if this was his logic I don't trust his intelligence or decision-making to be a doctor. you should be able to realize you might change your mind about specialty and prepare for the test doing as well as you can. someone interested in peds should not be giving less effort just because they don't need as high a score
 
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pedrocks im not sure if you are trolling or not, but in your previous posts you say "let's just say that if I get at least a 210, I won't cry," you mention in other places that your goal is a 210, and that you put up a 220 on your nbme 7. yes, it's better than a 206, but its not an unreasonable score to have expected, given the pressures of test day. if you had been putting down 240s-260s on practice tests i could maybe see some merit to your frustration.

you aren't eligible for the comlex, and you wouldn't just be able to "study omm" on your own. we get two years of omm shoved into our heads and fingertips before taking that exam.

sdn is a great place to vent your frustrations and perhaps your insecurities, but your handling of this situation sounds like you have a tremendous amount of growing up to do before you become a doctor.

i agree, seek out your school or your private physician and try to get some counseling set up to sort your issues out. the way you talk about reliance on meds concerns me, as you will have unprecedented access to such as a physician, and don't sound like you can handle the responsibility as of yet.
 
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I was aiming for a high score but I set my minimum to be low so as to relieve anxiety. My REAL aim was actually at least a 220. There are things you say out loud (i.e. my absolute MINIMUM is a 210) but things you actually hold to (i.e. my actual GOAL is a 220). And THAT is what I am disappointed about. There's a difference between a minimum and a goal.

Mosel, I'm not stupid...okay maybe my step score shows that I am stupid, but I'm certainly not unethical....I wouldn't self-prescribe, nor would I pressure others to prescribe to me. It is common to use sleep aids to treat lack of sleep and meds to treat depression/anxiety. I am also the type who wants to stay off of drugs as much as possible (hence my lack of use of sleep aids for the Step, hence my total debacle on it). So if you are ACTUALLY concerned about some sort of perceived abuse of drugs, I suggest you look elsewhere.
 
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I think everyone on this thread needs to relax up on the OP...I doubt they are going to become addicted to zolpidem, diazepam and clonazepam only to end up jobless, homeless and selling his/her "services" for crack, over a self-perceived subpar performance on Step 1 (make a good book however)....its just your typical SDN venting.
 
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ugh where does one get off calling med students who scored a 206 stupid, whether or not your scored that yourself. 188 is pass, and is what has been deemed competent to continue on with the medical curriculum. you either lack perspective, tact, common sense, or D) all of the above. why do i even bite on this garbage.
 
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PediatricsRocks said:
I got a 206--WAY below my NBME 🙁. Will this get me into peds in TX? Or should I just drop out and become a homeless person living on the street?
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i heard you could do some kind of fellowship in pediatrics after family med residency. with your score, u should definitely get FM
 
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