Will Pre-Clinical Grades Be Important?

[Detective SnowBucket]

Last week a couple of my classmates and I were talking after a lecture about how we don't like out school's grading system. We were thinking about the effects if we were to get it changed to p/f but we're worried about standing-out to competitive residencies now that step 1 is p/f as well. Will pre-clinical grades ever be important/are they now?

With out current non-p/f grading for pre-clinical, would it look bad for applying to a competitive specialty if I just got straight P's all the way through pre-clinical?

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[slowthai]

Preclinical grades only matter if you're gunning for AOA and they're part of the criteria for nomination. Otherwise, they're irrelevant. Like no one even looks at them.

If it was me, I'd focus on crushing step 1 (even if it ends up being p/f) and doing research. This way, you'll stand out by having a high step 2, pubs, and hopefully good clinical grades by the end of third year.

 

[drducky.]

As long as theres step 2, your grades wont really matter. Also keep in mind step 1 is p/f in jan 2021 at the EARLIEST. If they bump it back a few months, boom you’re taking a scored exam you’re not prepared for.

 

[Detective SnowBucket]

Preclinical grades only matter if you're gunning for AOA and they're part of the criteria for nomination. Otherwise, they're irrelevant. Like no one even looks at them.

If it was me, I'd focus on crushing step 1 (even if it ends up being p/f) and doing research. This way, you'll stand out by having a high step 2, pubs, and hopefully good clinical grades by the end of third year.

I don't think they are considered for AOA. I go to a school that does a lot of research likes to think they are a research powerhouse so they push us into research pretty quick so it looks like I'll be starting research by December.

 

[Detective SnowBucket]

As long as theres step 2, your grades wont really matter. Also keep in mind step 1 is p/f in jan 2021 at the EARLIEST. If they bump it back a few months, boom you’re taking a scored exam you’re not prepared for.

Wait, I thought it was jan. 2022. If it's jan 2021 that's way before I need to take step 1 since I'm only an M1. That's in 4 months

 

[drducky.]

Wait, I thought it was jan. 2022. If it's jan 2021 that's way before I need to take step 1 since I'm only an M1. That's in 4 months

Ya It is 2022. My bad

 

[Goro]

Last week a couple of my classmates and I were talking after a lecture about how we don't like out school's grading system. We were thinking about the effects if we were to get it changed to p/f but we're worried about standing-out to competitive residencies now that step 1 is p/f as well. Will pre-clinical grades ever be important/are they now?

With out current non-p/f grading for pre-clinical, would it look bad for applying to a competitive specialty if I just got straight P's all the way through pre-clinical?

Here's what program directors think of pre-clinical grades:

https://mk0nrmp3oyqui6wqfm.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020-PD-Survey.pdf

 

[Detective SnowBucket]

Here's what program directors think of pre-clinical grades:

https://mk0nrmp3oyqui6wqfm.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020-PD-Survey.pdf

It seems that competitive specialties actually kinda care? 33% of derm PD's mentioned basic science grades at 3.8 importance. Ortho had pre-clinical grades at 4.5/5 importance for deciding who to rank after interviewing?! (Only mentioned by 5% of PD's though?) Same trend with psych at 4.3/5 importance post interview.
Damn, rads says 4.2 importance mentioned by 22% for deciding who to interview. Gen surg at 3.9. then 4.5/5 importance!
Well, I guess I just went from neurotic pre-med to neurotic M1.

Are we just saying that it's only very important to a select few PD's who you can effectively ignore by saying PD's don't care about pre-clinical grades? Or are we saying across the board that pre-clinical grades aren't important (3.2/5 for all specialties, lowest on the list), leaving out the caveat that certain selective specialties do care/care a lot?

And then, the big point is, are these numbers going to change? Will PD's care more about grades with a P/F Step1?

 

[Goro]

It seems that competitive specialties actually kinda care? 33% of derm PD's mentioned basic science grades at 3.8 importance. Ortho had pre-clinical grades at 4.5/5 importance for deciding who to rank after interviewing?! (Only mentioned by 5% of PD's though?) Same trend with psych at 4.3/5 importance post interview.
Damn, rads says 4.2 importance mentioned by 22% for deciding who to interview. Gen surg at 3.9. then 4.5/5 importance!
Well, I guess I just went from neurotic pre-med to neurotic M1.

Are we just saying that it's only very important to a select few PD's who you can effectively ignore by saying PD's don't care about pre-clinical grades? Or are we saying across the board that pre-clinical grades aren't important (3.2/5 for all specialties, lowest on the list), leaving out the caveat that certain selective specialties do care/care a lot?

And then, the big point is, are these numbers going to change? Will PD's care more about grades with a P/F Step1?

Dude, compare those numbers to what the PDs think are really important.

And pass fail Step 1 has been beaten to death. What Pds will look at will be step 2 and your clinical evals.

 

[Real McCoy]

Proven track record from "feeder schools" with solid board scores and recommendations/evaluations in clerkships are the way to make sure you're in the conversation (i.e. don't get weeded out by some formula before a human sees your application). Pre-clinical grades are pretty low by comparison to most other items on the list. Don't fail your boards, don't have professionalism/ethics issues, be able to work with other humans, and you'll match somewhere.

 

[Gilakend]

I'm not sure what % of schools are like mine, but pre-clinical grades aren't tracked at all. P/F unranked, so for us they wouldn't be able to be important. I don't see them ever being that important.