When should you release Step 2 CK score if you didn't score as high as you wanted to?

[Lord_Vader]

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^Topic

 

[SurfingDoctor]

^Topic

Too vague of a statement to give you a real answer. Were you aiming for the mean and barely passed or were you aiming for a 260 and got a 245?

 

[Lord_Vader]

Too vague of a statement to give you a real answer. Were you aiming for the mean and barely passed or were you aiming for a 260 and got a 245?

Was aiming for the mean. I didn't get even close to the mean but didn't barely pass either. Somewhere in the middle let's say.

Going into IM if that helps.

 

[CliveStaples]

Was aiming for the mean. I didn't get even close to the mean but didn't barely pass either. Somewhere in the middle let's say.

Going into IM if that helps.

So you scored a 220-225. What's your Step 1 score? How are you doing on interviews? At the end of the day, they're going to see it before they rank you.

 

[Lord_Vader]

So you scored a 220-225. What's your Step 1 score? How are you doing on interviews? At the end of the day, they're going to see it before they rank you.

My Step 1 was a 227. I scored 3 points lower on my CK which is why I'm worried. I have 10 interviews already but I'm wondering if I will forfeit some if I release it now. I don't know what the optimal time to release it is given my situation however.

 

[SurfingDoctor]

My Step 1 was a 227. I scored 3 points lower on my CK which is why I'm worried. I have 10 interviews already but I'm wondering if I will forfeit some if I release it now. I don't what the optimal time to release it is given my situation however.

Here would be my general advice. If your Step I score is much higher than your Step II score (I'm talking like 20+ difference) then don't release it. If your Step I score is lower or on par (your situation) I would release it because it shows either improvement in scores or consistency. In the end, PD want high or consistent Step scores so they can gauge if the graduating residents can past the boards.

 

[Psai]

They will see your score before match day anyway

 

[failedatlife]

Dude, I seriously feel for you. And this is totally going to be me next year posting something VERY similar to this, seems like they are making these Step tests harder each year. When will these stupid standardized tests just go away. I swear their only purpose is to make the dweebs who are good at these MC exams feel good about themselves. Like they have a remotely close correlation with residency performance...

 

[sazerac]

Here would be my general advice. If your Step I score is much higher than your Step II score (I'm talking like 20+ difference) then don't release it. If your Step I score is lower or on par (your situation) I would release it because it shows either improvement in scores or consistency. In the end, PD want high or consistent Step scores so they can gauge if the graduating residents can past the boards.

Does getting slightly lower on Step 2 than Step 1 really show either improvement or consistency?

Step 2 is scaled a lot differently than Step 1. Getting a couple points lower is like dropping an entire standard deviation. It's like going from an average Z=0 or 50th percentile to Z=-1 or 16th percentile. Seems like a significant negative trend to me. The pass line is around Z=-2.

To answer the OP's question though, I would release it. Not having a CK score is so easy filter out of the applicant pool.

 

[Psai]

Dude, I seriously feel for you. And this is totally going to be me next year posting something VERY similar to this, seems like they are making these Step tests harder each year. When will these stupid standardized tests just go away. I swear their only purpose is to make the dweebs who are good at these MC exams feel good about themselves. Like they have a remotely close correlation with residency performance...

Whatever helps you sleep at night

 

[SurfingDoctor]

Does getting slightly lower on Step 2 than Step 1 really show either improvement or consistency?

Step 2 is scaled a lot differently than Step 1. Getting a couple points lower is like dropping an entire standard deviation. It's like going from an average Z=0 or 50th percentile to Z=-1 or 16th percentile. Seems like a significant negative trend to me. The pass line is around Z=-2.

To answer the OP's question though, I would release it. Not having a CK score is so easy filter out of the applicant pool.

I never said a lower Step score is showing improvement. As far as the consistency, yes the mean is usually higher for Step II than for Step I (about 10+ points or so). But the fact that a person passed 2 different tests at a reasonable margin above the minimum score does show consistency. Generally speaking a person with a Step I and Step II score that are in the same ballpark is likely to go on a pass the specialty or sub-specialty boards, which is important to PDs as they have to report board pass rates to the ACGME. All that being said, Step scores get your foot in the door to interview, they aren't a guarantee to match or not.