Why is 99 only 230 this year?

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Just heard this from one of the guys that took it. Anyone knows? last year it was much higher - somewhere in 240's, if I remember correctly. I thought 99's were always or near 240.

 

[wanabdoc]

Just heard this from one of the guys that took it. Anyone knows? last year it was much higher - somewhere in 240's, if I remember correctly. I thought 99's were always or near 240.

yeah, saw my buddies score = 231/99

I really thought that 99 started around 236 or so? Maybe the new format is a lot harder?

 

[basupran]

It is exam specific- I think two people taking different exams have different raw scores needed for a 99... theoretically, the same percentage of students should be getting 99s on the exam.

 

[HPSPpayissues]

I think a few years ago a mid 230 was 99, and last year it was ~240. This year, down to 230...hmmm... Never understood that fluctuation...

 

[2012mdc]

what's even the purpose of the 2 digit score? does anyone look at it at all?

 

[HPSPpayissues]

what's even the purpose of the 2 digit score? does anyone look at it at all?

Step 1 Score= 229/99 ; this is what I saw one of the guys that goes to the Carribean schools posted. Interesting...
From what he was saying, they need over 90+ to have a good chance to get into some program. Are they talking about some US hospitals taking them in for their third year rotations? Yeah, I never knew much about 2 digit score, until I started seeing a lot of IMG's talk about how they got 95, 97, 92, 99, etc. hmm...

 

[UniqueDoc]

Hi, I was just planning on timing my rotations.
How long does it really usually take to get scores back?
I am not allowed to start rotations until my score is back.
Is it usually around the 3 week mark or 6 weeks? If you know please make me aware!

 

[slowbutsteady]

Please explain what the 99 even means. What is it? How is it used the match? Peeps on this thread seem to be knowledgeable.

 

[abmd]

I'm just M1 but it seems that 75 in the 2 digit score is needed to pass and that is all that is really used. It is not a %. It is just a score using a 2 digit range.

 

[vicinihil]

It's the way the Step 1 use to be scored I think. It's still used in some international situations but it's all but pointless and outdated

 

[cushie]

.

 

[lord_jeebus]

One of my residents explained the difference between 2 and 3 digit scores quite eloquently:

The 2 digit score is normalized from year to year. An 87 compared between a 2009 and a 2010 test-taker mean that they did equally well, even if one got a 212 and one got a 218 (I have no idea what an 87 is equivalent to; just a guess). Also, the 2 digit score is useful for making fine distinctions between people who scored in the low-middle range.

Actually, the NBME has said that the reverse is true. That's why the 3-digit score is the one that matters. 75 has always been passing, but the level of performance required for passing has been increased recently.

 

[womp]

It just means the level of performance at the top end has gone down a little, while the level of performance for passing and being around the mean has stayed about the same from last year at 188 and 221, respectively.

 

[aashkab]

dang it, are we the dumb class? lol j/k

 

[DivCurlZero]

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