When to take step 2?

[southerndoc]

---

Members do not see this ad.

(Posting in the EM forum because of the desire for feedback from current and former EM residents.)

How beneficial is it to take Step 2 early in the application process for EM? Are there any EM programs that require step 2 before granting you an interview?

Here's my situation:

I scored a 246/99 on step 1, and I'm afraid that I could actually decrease my chances of a good residency by taking step 2 earlier and doing worse on it than step 1. There is far more room for getting a lower score than getting a higher score.

I'm registered to take step 2 next Friday (August 1st).

Should I postpone it until Decemberish, or should I bite the bullet and go ahead and take it? Only a few more days remaining for me to study!

Also, what did you guys use to study? Is Boards and Wards for step 2 and Kaplan online qbank enough? I'll probably review First Aid for Medicine and Blueprints Peds as well.

Cheers!

 

[tonem]

One school of thought holds that the timing for Step II is entirely dependent on your Step I score. If (as in your case) you have a strong Step I score, it is best to hold off on taking Step II until it will be too late for your score to have any impact on your ranking. The reason being that it is more likely your score will hurt you than help you (ie: you have a bad day and your Step II score ends up being lower than your Step I score). A higher score on Step II won't change things much unless you had a poor showing on Step I. (Allegedly, PD's give more weight to Step II when it is available because it is more of a clinical test than Step I.)

 

[anonymousEM]

I agree with tonem. If you're ready and you just want to get it over with, go ahead and take it. If you're concerned that you're not ready, then i'd just wait however long you can wait and not pay again. With the score you've got, no one's going to be too concerned about your step 2 scores. I, on the other hand, scored just below average the first time around and a few points better on step 2 and no one mentioned my scores except one program...i suppose the ones that were unimpressed just didn't invite me for an interview. A friend of mine scored average on step one and 20 pts worse on step 2...only one person asked him about it and they were satisfied with his response of "I had a bad day." and actually commiserated with him. A score of 246 on step one will get you in the door for interviews, then, especially in EM it's up to you to make a positive impression about how hard you'll work, how well you'll fit into the team and those things much more than how "book smart" you are. Good luck.

Oh, I thought Step 2 Secrets was a good quick review with lots of high yield stuff for the day or two before the test.

 

[southerndoc]

Thanks for the responses guys.

Are you guys aware of any EM programs that require step 2 scores before they interview you?

 

[Apollyon]

Only one I know of right now is SUNY-Downstate (Brooklyn).

 

[emdoc21]

You should have a decent idea whether or not you can beat your Step I score (from shelf exams, fair comparison of your knowledge base to your peers).

I got a 234 on Step I, but felt I excelled in clinicals much more than preclinicals. So, despite advice to the contrary, I went ahead and took Step II in July. I ended up improving 30 points to a 264.

I got all the interviews I applied for and matched at my top choice, but who knows whether my Step II score mattered much.

 

[DrQuinn]

I took Step II in January (COMLEX, not the USMLE, however)... no one bothered to ask if I had taken it...

I have a different situation, though... I wouldn't have gotten my Step 2 score back even if I had taken it in August (we can take it in August or January every year)... I had no problem getting interviews.

Dont' take it, you scored well on Step 1.

Q, DO