Thoughts.

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
usually its best right after third year, most would say. it would be tough if you got a form heavy on pd or sx. plus getting pimped rounds can come in handy i think 😉
just knock out third year spend 3 weeks on world/secrets or crush, you should be fine 🙂 your score will only go up if you wait.
 
depends on what score you are shooting for and why you want to take it early:


1.) if you did really well on Step I and just want Step 2 to be over with, you probably could get away with taking it at any time.

However, keep in mind that programs will end up seeing BOTH scores since you took Step 2 so early (you only have the option of holding your Step 2 score if you end up taking Step 2 after your common application in ERAS is certified and you elect to transmit your score only once)

The significance of have a potentially lower Step 2 score relative to Step 1 i will leave for others to comment on....


2.) if you want to improve on Step 1 with your Step 2, i'd heed the advice of the above posters and take it right after your third year is over. I'd dedicate a solid few weeks to review and prepare for it.


...That being said, you of course can take Step 2 whenever you please...
 
I think it depends on why you want to take it early and how you plan to study for it. I just took it a couple of days ago without having had medicine, surgery or family medicine rotations, and I felt ok about my preparation. Having said that, I took a leave of absence in January for personal reasons and have been doing nothing but studying rotation-related material since then. If you're on rotations now without a dedicated chunk of time to study the material you won't have rotated in, then I'd say it's a bad idea. If, on the other hand, you have time to do nothing but study, then sure, why not, get it out of the way.
 
Top