What happens if a student fails boards

[cheruka]

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Just wondering if someone with good step 1 scores gets a bunch of cool interviews, does the interviews then takes step 2 and fails in December. What happens to them? Are they out of the application cycle?

 

[Winged Scapula]

No.

You are not required to have passed Step 2 to participate in the match unless you are an ECMFG candidate.

The issues:

1) your school may require passing Step 2 to graduate
2) if you cannot graduate on time and start residency July 1, you are not eligible for the match
3) you might be relegated to places with less "cool" interviews

 

[handwriting]

Some programs want applicants to have passed the Steps on their first try.

 

[Knicks]

Some programs want applicants to have passed the Steps on their first try.

"Some"??

Almost all of them want that as far as I'm concerned.

 

[ShyRem]

There are more and more programs that will not rank you if you don't have a passing step 2 score. Even if you killed the interview, come rank time you have a failing score and no passing retake, you may not be ranked at all.

There are some programs that may overlook this and rank you anyway. It is quite program specific.

 

[DrAwsome]

No.

You are not required to have passed Step 2 to participate in the match unless you are an ECMFG candidate.

The issues:

1) your school may require passing Step 2 to graduate
2) if you cannot graduate on time and start residency July 1, you are not eligible for the match
3) you might be relegated to places with less "cool" interviews

Not necessarily. Some programs will wait for you if they really like you. But otherwise it's certainly not a good thing to fail step 2.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Not necessarily. Some programs will wait for you if they really like you. But otherwise it's certainly not a good thing to fail step 2.

They MAY wait for you, but the rules of the NRMP state that if you are not ready to start residency on July 1, you may be neligible for the match if the position starts "on cycle". Your medical school has to verify that you are going to be eligible to start GME training on July 1 by the date of the ROL. In addition, if you match and then realize you can't start on July 1 (because you fail Step 2 again or for some other reason), you need to get a match waiver:


Section 2.1 of the Match Participation Agreement states that applicants must meet ACGME and institutional requirements prior to the start of training in order to be eligible for the position. If you learn you are ineligible to honor your binding commitment, you must immediately notify the NRMP in writing so that the NRMP can determine whether you and/or the program qualify for a waiver. You also must request a waiver if you are ineligible to honor a position you obtained during the Match Week Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program as a result of your delayed graduation status.

So while I agree that if a program really likes you, they *may* wait, its not as easy as it sounds.

 

[viper930]

Some programs want applicants to have passed the Steps on their first try.

Why would they want that? That's silly!

 

[shan564]

If you're concerned about your Step 2 performance, just don't auto-release your scores. If you fail, take the test again and get a passing result before February. As long as you pass before their rank list meeting, they'll see that you passed.

Of course, the first-time-fail will hurt your chances, but if you pass in the end, it'll help your case.

 

[handwriting]

Haha. Let me rephrase my previous post.
Many programs do not accept applicants who have failed any of their Steps.
Some programs will allow applicants to have one or two retries.
However, in the end, I'm sure each program makes case by case decisions about who it wants to interview.
Yes, I know a lot of times programs screen applicants based on Step scores, etc.