when to take step 2

[zempa]

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Would taking step 2 in late august (meaning I won't get my scores by september 15) be helpful in getting interviews?

I would probably get it late september

Or would it completely not matter at that point since interviews would pretty much be set - and if this is the case should I just take later on to not stress about studying while I'm on my subi/getting my app ready

 

[jerseytrash]

Would taking step 2 in late august (meaning I won't get my scores by september 15) be helpful in getting interviews?

I would probably get it late september

Or would it completely not matter at that point since interviews would pretty much be set - and if this is the case should I just take later on to not stress about studying while I'm on my subi/getting my app ready

As an FYI your tag reads "Pre-Medical" - you might wanna change that

If you have a significant improvement in your Step 2 score from a low Step 1 score (like a 200 -> 240) then it'll look great. If you have a good Step 1 score and a good Step 2 score, it'll be fine. If you have a small drop from Step 1 to Step 2, it prob won't affect you that much. A precipitous drop can hurt a bit.

Interviews start coming in during mid Oct/early Nov. I took my Step 2 later on fwiw and I got almost all of my interviews before I took it.

 

[Instatewaiter]

I think that is the tradition "wisdom" to take step 2 early if you did poorly and step 2 late if you did well.
That said, if you scored well on step 1 and did well on shelf exams, you will do well on step 2. If you recently took medicine and did well on the shelf exam, you will probably do well on step 2. So, sometimes it is just nice to get it out of the way. I had medicine last and took step 2 two weeks after. I
finished the IM shelf. It was the right choice.

Also, people don't look at step 2 if the scores are close. So if you scored a 240 step 1 and got a 232 or a 248 step 2, it doesnt look that much different and probably won't affect you. Yeah, if you score a 220 it will hurt you but that is pretty unlikely if you actually study for the thing.

 

[NewYorkDoctors]

It has been suggested that Internal Medicine values Step 2 moreso than Step 1.

While most people can get into great IM programs without even taking Step 2, I did hear on the trail from the PDs (upon asking) that having a great Step 2 is really something they would like in their candidates

Of course, if you already come from a Top 40 med school, AOA, numerous publications, top Step 1, great preclinical grades, top shot letters... then this is a moot point...

But every little bit helps if you have deficient areas in your application (like the vast majority of us do/did)