Mediocre step 1/ do I push off step 2?

[Mean_Mr_Mustard]

Hi,

I tried to look for something that addressed this by scores, but didnt find anything similar. I dropped the ball on step 1 and got an average (by ortho standards) score of 234. Not good, but I did study as hard as I could for 5 weeks. My question is, what number on step 1 do you decide whether or not pushing off step 2 is okay? As of now, I have nothing going for me except a couple honors first year which really dont amount to $hit. I am trying to finish a research project (a small retrospective study) that got sidetracked second year due to step 1 prep. I really didnt want to turn this into a "Do I stand a chance" kind of message, but if you guys could level with me and give me some advice it would be helpful. Thanks!

Mean Mr Mustard

[Howzit]

Your step one scores are high enough to get you interviews almost anywhere. Don't worry about it. Put off step two until after interview season. I took it over December to get it out of the way. I studied very little and no-one ever asked for my score. I did not receive my results until the end of the season anyway.

Nothing gets you a spot better than kicking ass on away electives.

[asl17]

Well, I guess another question would be, at what point should an applicant consider putting off step II. I have a 226 on Step I, and different people have given me conflicting advice. Should I take step II in Sept like I was planning, or wait til Dec (the latest my school allows)?

[OrthoOverhaul]

Be forewarned that I am just another M4 who is also starting the ortho application process, so anything I have to offer is pretty much conjecture.
In regards to a cutoff for taking step II, I doubt you will be able to pin anyone down to a specific number. For one, everybody is different. Compare two people with a step I of 230 at two extremes. One person has stellar grades and research while the other guy had to retake his first year and has never seen the inside of a lab. Obviously the second guy has more to prove and more to benefit from the risk of taking Step II early (although also arguably more to lose if he bombs it).
Despite my disclaimer about no definite cutoffs, I will give my thoughts (based on reading this site amongst other things over the past year) on what I would do if I were a typical ortho applicant (i.e. no red flags) . If Step I is >240 than you are probably very safe to put off step II. If Step I is 220-240 it is probably personal preference depending on your circumstances. If Step I is <220 it is probably pretty safe to say you could benefit from taking Step II early. Obviously, this is all pretty loose and again depends on the person. If you tried your best to get a Step I of 215, suck at taking tests, and dont have time to get any good studying in, you may be setting yourself up for disappointment if you are hoping to get a 250 on the deuce.
I have to put in a plug for taking Step II early. I just took it two weeks ago since I was just coming off my 12 week internal medicine rotation and had a light two weeks prior to the test which allowed me plenty of time to study. I had a 236 but was willing to bet on myself since (1) my shelf exams had gone great throughout 3rd year (2) I knew no one in the class above me that put any effort at all into the test who dropped their score by more than 5-10 points with almost everyone improving at least somewhat (3) I wanted to be done with it. I sure as heck am not going to be any smarter about what to do with a pregnant woman who has the hantavirus after 3 months of ortho rotations.
I can let you know if I will regret taking step II early when I get my scores back, but with those facts and my circumstances (no home program and therfore no research) I was looking for any edge. Plus, even if I held off taking step II, I could not just blow it off because I dont have any clue if I will match this year and dont want to reapply with a barely passing step II. Oh yeah, and it feels great to know that now I dont have to worry about a big exam (screw the CSE) until residency!
One word of caution, if you want to have the option to withhold your Step II scores from programs, make sure you take it late enough that you will apply to programs through ERAS before your step II is back. My understanding is that Step I and Step II are sent to programs on the same transcript so if you get your step II results prior to applying to programs you will be unable to give them step I without including step II. I could be wrong, but al least check into this possibility before scheduling a date for the deuce.
Just my two cents--let me know if the rest of you think what I said was complete BS--it probably is and I would be interested to hear what other people think. At the very least my ranges give a baseline people can burn on. I definitely dont know anymore than anyone else and anything anyone tells you is going to be speculation at best. Sorry about the long post. Hope it helps.

[Howzit]

OrthoOverhaul made some good points...

1. If you are worried about matching at all then having a decent Step II score in important. However, there is no reason you cannot do well when taking it later in the year.

2. The ranges OrthoOverhaul came up with and the point that no two students are alike both make sense. Breaking the 230 mark is pretty significant. I think better programs do tend to use that number (my impression from interviewing last year and talking to other applicants). You know how competitive you are so try augment a crappy application with good Step II scores and don't risk screwing up a strong application with poor scores. If you have a strong application you will probably do well on Step II anyway so the question then is whether you want to bother with the exam earlier or later. My vote is later.

Finally, you should all be focusing on what you can do now to improve your chances of getting a spot. I think spending the time preparing and doing well on your ortho electives is far more valuable than studying for Step II.

Good luck.

[BoneNailer]

At the risk of stirring up a lame battle of the sexes... what's your opinion on cutoffs for females? Lower? Higher? Not saying that the chickadees are any more or less qualified, but do you think program directors offer interviews to XY candidates with lower scores because of a smaller applicant pool or desire to diversify their intern class? Or will females be expected to pull traction twice as hard, bench press twice as much, and be held at a higher standard for interviews?

Just wondering...

[asl17]

I'm assuming you mean XX, as in female

[BoneNailer]

XYeah, xyou're right. This is why I'm not taking step II until it's too late to count...