changing view on step II?

I am an M3 and I recently talked with a PD regarding advice on taking step II ealy. He said that he highly recommends taking it early and posting a score. Otherwise, it looks like the candidate is trying to hide something. As someone who scored around the national average for those who matched into orthopedics last year I am now unsure what to do. I know previous posts address this issue thoroughly, but I am wondering if the tide is turning and programs now want the score. Also, are the programs just trying to look after themselves and should the med students look after themselves by not taking it early if step I is adequate. Thanks.

Let me try to give you a concrete advice, and not some bs answer like "it depends." Largely, the attitude towards step II has not changed. It's far better to rock step I. However, step II can be valuable if you didn't score well on step I. Here is the break down.

240+: don't take step II.

230-239: solid score, no one will fault you for this score but since there are so many candidates with 240+ score you might want to consider if you are interested in very, very competitive programs. If you are from an ivy league or top medical school, you need not worry. In general, don't take step II. If you do, you better study hard to beat your step I score solidly.

220-229: same as above, except students from top med school might consider it as well. If you are interested in less competitive program in a less desirable location, it's definitely not worth retaking the test. I know a couple of residents at top programs with this score.

210-219: definitely can match with this score, but don't expect interview invitations from Harvard or UPenn. It's definitely possible if you are STELLAR in other areas. I recommend step II.

210 or below: step II no matter what.

Please note that these recommendations are not based on whether you'll match or not (you can match with a score of 205), but for those who are interested in top-middle to top tier programs, and want to look back and not regret about their USMLE score.

Good advice. i don't think anyone can say it better.

Generally, I agree with Loving Ortho...

However, I will say that if you fall below 240, are motivated to strengthen your application, and have an extra 2 weeks off to study for Step 2, definitely consider it. Let me explain:

For Step 1 I studied hard for 4 weeks using QBank and First Aid. I completed about 70% of questions, was averaging 70-75% and scored just above the mean.

As a military applicant, I had to take Step 2 early. I studied using nothing but QBank for 2 weeks (First Aid for Step 2 is not nearly as good as it was for Step 1). Finished roughly 75% of the questions available, was averaging 70-75% on timed tests (notice this is the same as my Step 1 stats). My score jumped 27 points, and it made it onto my ERAS by late October... and I am certain it helped me quite a bit.

Obviously, if you can't put in the time, or are not scoring as highly on practice tests as you would like, don't risk it. But, if you aren't satisfied with your Step 1, and can take some time to study without sacrificing SubI's etc., it might pay off.

For those 240+ (or even high 230s), you would have to REALLY nail Step 2 to make yourself look much stronger in terms of standardized test-taking, so I wouldn't bother.

Just my opinion...

you guys are really stuck on the USMLE number thing ...

i think Loving_ortho gave good advice ... thing is, if a school has a USMLE cutoff, most don't look at part 2 ... so if you miss it, you missed it ...

those that look at more of the application, then USMLE part 2 can help.

for me, the number means nothing .... i like to see and increase or ~ the same number .... you see, numbers don't mean much when we don't get the percentiles ...

so recommendation, take part 2 ... do well and post it .... if you did poorly the fist time you need to rock it ... if you rocked part one, don't crash and burn on part 2 ...

you know choosing residents is kind of like cooking .... there are basic ingredients .... but most good cooks, cook to taste … a tad of this and a smidgeon of that .. no absolutes

as a side note... i wouldnt be surprised if step II becomes increasingly important in resident selection. pretty sure there was an article about it correlating with later resident performance and that sort of makes sense. but thats not really why i predict this will happen. mostly it will be because there are more applicants than there are spots, and as such, people will go to greater lengths to make themselves be more competitive. maybe a few program directors such as your own will mention that they feel it is important, then suddenly, a lot more applicants are going to be taking (or at least feeling like they should) this exam.

i would say take it. its one less thing out of the way and in most cases you score around your step I anyway.