When to take Step 2????

[LeonardMcCoy]

Hello, here's quick info about me:

US IMG(Caribbean)
STEP 1 : 213

I will be to Family Medicine residency programs in September but due to unforeseen circumstances I'm not sure if I will be fully prepared by early July. Would taking CK and CS in mid-late August significantly decrease my chances of matching in family medicine?

Thanks!!

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[Ismet]

No you'll be fine. CS doesn't need to be in until time for ranking (February) and while it would be good for you to have a CK score early, if it comes 1 week after ERAS opens (Sept 15), it's not going to significantly affect you. Many programs don't start seriously looking at applications until the MSPE comes in on Oct 1 anyway, though you'll probably still get interview offers before that happens.

Aka better to be more prepared and get the score a week or two after ERAS opens as opposed to taking it early without being ready. You want to make sure you get a higher score on CK, and a low score would hurt more than it being a little bit late.

 

[vitalsdoc]

No you'll be fine. CS doesn't need to be in until time for ranking (February) and while it would be good for you to have a CK score early, if it comes 1 week after ERAS opens (Sept 15), it's not going to significantly affect you. Many programs don't start seriously looking at applications until the MSPE comes in on Oct 1 anyway, though you'll probably still get interview offers before that happens.

Aka better to be more prepared and get the score a week or two after ERAS opens as opposed to taking it early without being ready. You want to make sure you get a higher score on CK, and a low score would hurt more than it being a little bit late.

Hey I wanted to add on to the question by the OP(I'm also a caribbean IMG w/ a low step 1 score). What if I was to take CK on time(before ERAS opens/september 15) but I push my CS until lets say August/September of 2016. According to the CS reporting schedule, my CS results won't come in until first week of November. Is that a bad idea? Will some programs not consider me for IVs?

 

[LeonardMcCoy]

Thanks for the reply Ismet!
Anybody know how long it will take to get the results back if I take Step 2 ck in mid-August?

 

[pd1112]

Hey I wanted to add on to the question by the OP(I'm also a caribbean IMG w/ a low step 1 score). What if I was to take CK on time(before ERAS opens/september 15) but I push my CS until lets say August/September of 2016. According to the CS reporting schedule, my CS results won't come in until first week of November. Is that a bad idea? Will some programs not consider me for IVs?

Thanks for the reply Ismet!
Anybody know how long it will take to get the results back if I take Step 2 ck in mid-August?

The USMLE website has all of the timelines for every test.
Not many programs in any specialty require 2ck before offering an interview, but most if not all require it to rank.
Very few programs in any specialty require 2cs before offering an interview, but it's becoming much more common now that programs require it to rank/match.

 

[LeonardMcCoy]

How likely is it to match in family residency with a 213 in step 1?
Is doing well on step 2 ck my only hope?

 

[Ismet]

How likely is it to match in family residency with a 213 in step 1?
Is doing well on step 2 ck my only hope?

Check "charting the outcomes" for a general idea, though you'd fall under "independent applicants" which also includes DOs and FMGs. Looks like around 55-60% of independent applicants with Step 1 of 211-220 match in FM.

 

[LeonardMcCoy]

How long does it usually take for Step 2ck results to come out for US IMGs??

When would be the latest date I can take step 2 ck and still get my score back by September 15th when the application cycle opens?

 

[Ismet]

How long does it usually take for Step 2ck results to come out for US IMGs??

When would be the latest date I can take step 2 ck and still get my score back by September 15th when the application cycle opens?

Is it a different time for IMGs? I feel like it would be the same for everyone. The score comes out the 3rd or 4th Wednesday after you take the test, depending on what day of the week you took it.

I don't know if this happens every year but this past year there was a hold on score release until Sept 16 for anyone who took it from July ~10 through August.


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[Propane]

Is it a different time for IMGs? I feel like it would be the same for everyone. The score comes out the 3rd or 4th Wednesday after you take the test, depending on what day of the week you took it.

I don't know if this happens every year but this past year there was a hold on score release until Sept 16 for anyone who took it from July ~10 through August.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

I'm wondering about this too. According to the ECMFG/USMLE website, scores usually come out in 3-4 weeks for CK. Last year however, there was a delay in score reporting for those who took it after July 10th since there was a modification to the test. But i don't see any such notice for this year. I wonder if we would still have to take CK in early July if we wanted to get the score back by mid September.

 

[Ismet]

I'm wondering about this too. According to the ECMFG/USMLE website, scores usually come out in 3-4 weeks for CK. Last year however, there was a delay in score reporting for those who took it after July 10th since there was a modification to the test. But i don't see any such notice for this year. I wonder if we would still have to take CK in early July if we wanted to get the score back by mid September.

The notice last year came late, like in May or June I think? I don't think it was there when I scheduled my CK in mid-July and then found out I'd be waiting until Sept afterwards