USMLE scores and residencies

[caduceus5]

I heard that to get into a good residency one needs a score of 85 on the USMLE, can anyone tell me what that is on the scale that uses 3 digits (205, 245, etc.). Also, how hard is it to get that score. Thanks a bunch

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[Becket]

An 85 is not a difficult score to get; I'm guessing, but it's probably somewhere in the low 200's. For residencies in very competitive fields, that's a somewhat low score, but for other fields it won't kill your chances by any means.

 

[caduceus5]

Thnaks for the info. does anyone know what the equivalent is for both a score of 206 (which I heard is the average), and a score of 245 (which I heard is good).

 

[DrWBD]

An 85 is equivalent to a 210 on the USMLE Step 1, and is considered the mean score. Passing is a 182. For most competitive residencies, you want to beat the mean by as much as possible.

 

[Becket]

A 245 would be a 99.

 

[yigit]

I know this is kind of subjective, but how important are Board scores to the residency application? As important as the MCAT was to the medschool app?

 

[Becket]

Probably the more competitive the residency, the more important are your scores, simply because these residencies will often screen applicants initially by USMLE score. I doubt anyone would say that the USMLE is as important as the MCAT. While a mediocre MCAT can ruin an applicants chances of getting into med school, an average or even below average score on the USMLE still leaves the applicant with many options for residency.