when should i take step 2?

[Mathemagician]

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i'm currently in the middle of my 3rd year of med school and while i've always had an interest in derm, i just decided its what i want to do for sure. we have to start planning our 4th year soon and i'm kind of confused as to when i should take step 2.

i got 241 on step 1, will probably end up in top 1/3 of my class, but no AOA. i've worked on some research and a case report with my the derm department at my school, however no publications to date. i'm not trying to go to a big name institution for residency and would be perfectly happy at my home institution or less competitive community-based program.

several people have told me my step 1 score is sufficient and to take step 2 as late as possible. if i were trying to match into any other specialty i'd probably agree. however, my stats are very average (probably even below average b/c i don't have much research) for derm, so i was contemplating taking step 2 early (with ample preparation of course) and hopefully getting a score >250 to help improve my standing.

what do you guys think? should i take step 2 early or late? would it even make that much of a difference even if i did get a step 2 in the 250s-60s? thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[opencomedo]

Taking it late is fine, I was around the same Step I as you, got a 259 on Step II and I don't seem to be getting any extra interviews for it..... plus, if you look at the recent survey from Program Directors it looks like they put far more weight on Step I than Step II.... Keep in mind, doing well on Step I usually means you are a good test taker.... assuming you did well 3rd year on shelf tests, you will prob go up on Step II, but... why risk it right?

 

[Mathemagician]

anyone else care to weigh in on this situation?

i'm signing up for step 2 soon and am still having trouble deciding between taking step 2 in august vs october!

 

[laxman310]

.

 

[NPR]

i'd take it

243 is a fairly average score in derm

not having aoa hurts too

study hard for step 2 and sport a 260 come application time

 

[pemphigirl]

Disagree...take it as late as your medical school will allow then add 2 months. A stellar Step 2 CK score really will not help you, however, a low score could hurt you. In addition, I would recommend waiting until after match day. God forbid you don't match, then you'll really want a stellar Step 2 CK score.

Good luck!

 

[NPR]

precisely

if you are going to match, you'll want the high step 2 ck score anyway

if you fail to match, you'll NEED the high step 2 ck score anyway

might as well take it early after 3rd year with your shelf exam knowledge core still relatively intact and study hard and hammer it

if you leave it late into 4th year, senioritis will cripple you

and if you do it after you fail to match, you'll be battling senioritis, depression, and huge pressure to succeed (unless you enjoy practicing family medicine in BFE)

 

[Mathemagician]

thank you all for the replies...

unfortunately my school has the ridiculous policy of requiring us to take step 2 ck by november of our senior year so i really wouldn't be able to wait it out till after the match.

i think i'm just going to bite the bullet, study like a maniac and take it early 🙁

 

[Chemiosmotic]

From what I understand, a 241/99 would likely be just fine for step 1. A 241 probably gets you on the desk instead of the trash can, and then its all about how you look elsewhere to get an interview.

It's funny though using the word "average" to describe a 241. I know quite a few people who would love to have that score.

Also, boards like this tend to emphasize the importance of getting ultra-high scores like 260. To all of those, yes its important - but it's also important to realize that it was not (and is not) the purpose of step 1 or 2 to draw fine conclusions at the peripherals of the scoring range. The USMLE does just fine separating a 227/95 from a 207/86 but breaks down considerably when trying to separate a 240/99 from a 270/99. That one of the many reasons why the standardized scores are still included. (It also helps when equating scores such a a 233/97 and a 238/97. A 238/99 would not be equivalent to either of the previous scores and would be superior to a 241/98 you had such an unusual score - as a resident of mine did.)

So a 241/99 and a 260/99 are probably much closer in terms of questions answered correctly and difficulty of questions answered correctly than a 230/95 and a 241/99. Thats why you take a gamble with taking step 2 anytime you already have a high 3-digit score attached to your 99. Seeing is your current number is near the the low end of a scores that are usually associated with a 99, you probably don't have as much risk as a person with a 260/99 in going down. You'll probably stay within the same range or go up a bit, provided that you study appropriately.

But as I said before, I don't think its necessary.