When To Take Step 2?

[DrBB]

So I'm debating whether to take my Step 2 in end of September or end of October. I have a 230 on Step 1. I was thinking that end of October might be too late for programs to see my score since they might not see it until after thanksgiving.

What do you guys suggest? With my Step 1 score, can I afford to take Step 2 later (October)?

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[gasblaster]

So I'm debating whether to take my Step 2 in end of September or end of October. I have a 230 on Step 1. I was thinking that end of October might be too late for programs to see my score since they might not see it until after thanksgiving.

What do you guys suggest? With my Step 1 score, can I afford to take Step 2 later (October)?

Depends. You'll likely be able to match with a 230 as long as there aren't any red flags on your app and you apply broadly. However, if you're looking to go any where mild-moderately competitive, I wouldn't take the risk of not taking Step 2 early on (of course, unless you think you won't improve). October would be too late because of turn around time for your score and a lot of places send out interviews around then. End of September may even be a bit late if you want it in before invites are sent out.

 

[StPlayrXtreme]

I think a 230 is enough to get you past interview filters at most places. Especially if you're debating taking an anesthesia elective early as an MS4, or taking step 2 early, I'd personally take an elective. You can always update schools with your score, before your interviews and well before they have to rank you.

 

[DrBB]

I was planning on doing 2 anesthesia electives - one in July and one in September. I could take Step 2 in Sept, and move the 2nd elective to October.

I just don't know how important it is for me to take step 2 early. I think I could probably pull a 230 again, if not raise it slightly. Do you guys think taking it earlier would help me significantly?

 

[vector2]

I was planning on doing 2 anesthesia electives - one in July and one in September. I could take Step 2 in Sept, and move the 2nd elective to October.

I just don't know how important it is for me to take step 2 early. I think I could probably pull a 230 again, if not raise it slightly. Do you guys think taking it earlier would help me significantly?

Take it early. If you got a 230 on step 1 that means you could spend 10 days reviewing the kaplan step 2ck book and doing half the world questions and still get a 230/99. I really can't emphasize how easy that test was for me compared to step 1, but of course ymmv

 

[DrBB]

Is taking it at the end of September versus end of October going to make that big of a difference?

 

[vector2]

What are you doing in August?

 

[gasblaster]

Is taking it at the end of September versus end of October going to make that big of a difference?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Dean's Letters are going out earlier this year (October 1st vs November 1st). This means applications can be completed 1 month earlier and those schools that wait for it to send out interview invites will likely be doing so early October, however many schools did so before then. Step 2 can contribute to screening/decisions to invite for an interview. Although I did well on Step 1, I still wanted to take Step 2 early enough for residency programs to have my score when giving out interviews.

 

[DrBB]

What are you doing in August?

So my summer looks like this:
July - Anesthesia
August - ICU
Sept or Oct - Anesthesia

The debate is whether taking Step 2 a month earlier (Sept instead of Oct) will really help me out. I'm kinda burnt out from the M3 year now, and feel like taking it in October would give me some breathing room. But then again, if taking it in September could significantly help me, then I guess I should change it.

 

[polar403]

So my summer looks like this:
July - Anesthesia
August - ICU
Sept or Oct - Anesthesia

The debate is whether taking Step 2 a month earlier (Sept instead of Oct) will really help me out. I'm kinda burnt out from the M3 year now, and feel like taking it in October would give me some breathing room. But then again, if taking it in September could significantly help me, then I guess I should change it.

The main reason to take it early is to have a good score back in time to enhance your application. If you take it early, take it seriously. I wouldn't do a rotation that is hours heavy or one that you want to impress on (anesthesia) while studying.

There are a number of programs that like to see a Step 2 score before they do their rank list. Other programs just want to see that you passed it. What they want may depend on how strong or weak your application is. Having a Step 2 score back before the majority of interview invites are sent out may or may not help you. Just depends on the program. If you decide to take it later, just have a good reason why you haven't taken it when you interview (if they ask -- and they probably will).

There isn't a clear cut answer. You just have to balance the pros and cons and decide for yourself.

 

[DrBB]

The main reason to take it early is to have a good score back in time to enhance your application. If you take it early, take it seriously. I wouldn't do a rotation that is hours heavy or one that you want to impress on (anesthesia) while studying.

There are a number of programs that like to see a Step 2 score before they do their rank list. Other programs just want to see that you passed it. What they want may depend on how strong or weak your application is. Having a Step 2 score back before the majority of interview invites are sent out may or may not help you. Just depends on the program. If you decide to take it later, just have a good reason why you haven't taken it when you interview (if they ask -- and they probably will).

There isn't a clear cut answer. You just have to balance the pros and cons and decide for yourself.

I was planning to take the month off (either Sept or Oct) to solely study for Step 2. The question I'm asking is this: is October really that late to take it? I'll still have my score back by late November. Will taking it in September (the other option) make that much of a difference? September vs October is what i'm debating between, since I already have rotations scheduled for July and August.

 

[gasblaster]

I was planning to take the month off (either Sept or Oct) to solely study for Step 2. The question I'm asking is this: is October really that late to take it? I'll still have my score back by late November. Will taking it in September (the other option) make that much of a difference? September vs October is what i'm debating between, since I already have rotations scheduled for July and August.

Depends on what you want it to do. Neither month will be too late for programs to use it when making their ROL, neither month will be too late for programs to have during interviews (except if you schedule interviews in November), taking it in October will likely be too late for programs to use it for offering interviews (September may still be borderline so it still might not matter).

 

[polar403]

I was planning to take the month off (either Sept or Oct) to solely study for Step 2. The question I'm asking is this: is October really that late to take it? I'll still have my score back by late November. Will taking it in September (the other option) make that much of a difference? September vs October is what i'm debating between, since I already have rotations scheduled for July and August.

I agree with gasblaster. I don't think it's going to help you get interviews, unless it's in the second or third wave of invites. If you take all of September off, I suspect that you'll take the exam near the end of the month. Add ~3 weeks to that date to get your results. Then you have to update your USMLE transcript on ERAS and wait for the programs to re-download the updated parts of your application. Some are quick to do this, while others take their time. Regardless, it'll be good to have a score for when you interview and for their ROL.

 

[DrBB]

I agree with gasblaster. I don't think it's going to help you get interviews, unless it's in the second or third wave of invites. If you take all of September off, I suspect that you'll take the exam near the end of the month. Add ~3 weeks to that date to get your results. Then you have to update your USMLE transcript on ERAS and wait for the programs to re-download the updated parts of your application. Some are quick to do this, while others take their time. Regardless, it'll be good to have a score for when you interview and for their ROL.

So you're saying that Sept vs Oct won't really make a difference in terms of helping me get interviews...in that case, I guess I'll just stick with October and take the extra breathing room.

 

[polar403]

So you're saying that Sept vs Oct won't really make a difference in terms of helping me get interviews...in that case, I guess I'll just stick with October and take the extra breathing room.

Not the first round of invites. The earlier you have your score back, the greater the chance you could get an invite to somewhere spots open up. Just do what you're most comfortable with. You want to make sure you do well on your exam. There are a lot of variables that each adcom evaluate and it's not worth trying to game that. The best you can do is try to make sure that you've done all that you can to enhance your application.