When to take Step 2 if research year between 3rd and 4th

[mybubbles627]

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I know this question has been asked a lot, and the general consensus is "if you did well on Step 1, take Step 2 late", HOWEVER

Current 3rd year med student BUT I will be taking a RESEARCH YEAR between 3rd and 4th year
Step 1 between 245-255

So, do I bust out Step 2 at the end of 3rd year OR do I wait 1.5 years and do it in the middle of 4th year and risk having forgotten a lot of information during my gap year? Especially since I have heard that now more programs are requiring/wanting a Step 2 score to interview/rank candidates?

Same with Step 2 CS. Do I bust it out this summer or wait till 4th year?

 

[Phloston]

I know this question has been asked a lot, and the general consensus is "if you did well on Step 1, take Step 2 late", HOWEVER

Current 3rd year med student BUT I will be taking a RESEARCH YEAR between 3rd and 4th year
Step 1 between 245-255

So, do I bust out Step 2 at the end of 3rd year OR do I wait 1.5 years and do it in the middle of 4th year and risk having forgotten a lot of information during my gap year? Especially since I have heard that now more programs are requiring/wanting a Step 2 score to interview/rank candidates?

Same with Step 2 CS. Do I bust it out this summer or wait till 4th year?

I would actually bust out Step 2 if you can. You'll find yourself in an endless tug of war between time spent on your research vs on the step, and in the end, you can't divide 100 by two and get 100. I had taken research years as well and it was perennially annoying balancing the two. I was always stressed that I felt like I was underachieving in both because I couldn't just sit down and focus wholeheartedly on either one.

I had touched base with one of my buddies who's an intern and he said he wished he had taken the Step 2 at the end of third-year. He recommended taking 3-6 weeks just hammering the material and then sitting it before 4th yr, because he said by the time he sat it he had forgotten a lot and had to restudy it anyway. So I took his advice and sat my Step 2 a month ago at the end of third-year (different calendar in Australia). And quite frankly, I am so glad it's out of the way. The Step 2 also has its fair share of Step 1-like questions and you're probably fresh on that stuff now.

 

[mybubbles627]

Thanks for the reply Pholston! I figured I would end up taking it at the end of 3rd year, just not quite sure WHEN

My research classes start September 25th, and 3rd year core clerkships end June 5th
June 8th-19th is a 2 week elective
June 22nd- 26th is summer break
July, August, September is room for 4th year 4 week electives

I wanted to take the 2 week pass/fail elective to try a specialty I am considering going into but still not sure about
I was hoping to take at least 1 4th year rotation to give myself more time off 4th year
My sister is getting married mid-August
I have the opportunity to go to China for 2.5 weeks in beginning of September

So basically I have to figure out what to give up and where to fit the study period in.

The best plan I came up with is take the 2 week elective, then do a rotation in July, then in August study and take the boards, September go to China, and then start the research year.

Do you think starting study period 6 weeks after the end of 3rd year is too far removed? Should I try to bust it out after 2 weeks instead of the elective?

 

[boltzmann77]

Phloston has some great advice above. I have classmates who dedicated just a week for Step2 studying. However, what many of them fail/forget to mention is the hard work they put in during 3rd year to do well on every shelf and prepare for Step2CK ahead of time. Plus some of them are incredibly smart i.e. above and beyond medical school smart 🙂 Sounds like you have a solid Step 1 score. I would take CK as soon as you can after third year. The further you move away from third year, the more distractions you have. I wouldn't even wait 6 weeks if you could do that.