bigfrank,
The main variable that will determine whether residency directors will or will not see the Step 2 CK score is when you take it. If you did well on step 1 (and I think you did), then delay step 2 as much as possible. I was in the same shoes this year and I took step 2 at the end of January. My score report was released one day after rank order lists were finalized...perfect timing! And my step 2 score was below my step 1 score so the timing strategy was all good.
For the purposes of ERAS, and this is if you submit the ERAS application before taking Step 2, you will have choices. The first choice is to automatically send all score transcripts once available. If you choose this option and you take Step 2 early, the step 2 score will probably be already transmitted electronically even before you get the score report via snail mail...what a sucky proposition. The other choice is to release all existing scores but NOT to automatically send score transcripts for subsequent step exams. The thing is that you have to remember to go back to ERAS and manually send the score to the programs (if you took the test early and the scores are available before ROL's are finalized). I chose this option. At least for pathology applications, this was a non-issue. I don't know how the other specialties will look at this. And I've heard of a few stories from rads people that they did the same thing I did and it was also a non-issue.
So here are a few scenarios:
(1) Take step 2 early + automatic send = you have the potential to get ****ed royally by this if you do significantly worse on step 2 compared to step 1. The advantage is that you don't have to remember to do a thing when your step 2 score comes.
(2) Take step 2 late (so scores won't matter by ROL deadline day) + automatic send = doesn't matter.
(3) Take step 2 late + non-automatic send = again, it doesn't matter.
(4) Take step 2 early + non-automatic send = this is a tricky issue and perhaps others can chime in here but i will offer my hypothetical thoughts. let's say you take the exam in october. you indicated on ERAS that you will be taking the exam in october. hence, the residency programs KNOW you will be taking the exam in october. let's say that your score was 30 points lower than step 1 when you get your score report back in november; you decide NOT to send the score report to the programs. fast forward to december...let's say certain residency programs really want to see your step 2 score but you didn't release it. they will think that something is up. this could potentially hurt you. now let's backtrack back to november and you did decide to send the score report to the programs. well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out but clearly you get screwed here too (if the residency program cares about step 2).
here's my personal experience just in case you fall into the same shoes as me in the next several months. my scheduling window for step 2 CK was october-december. i initially was scheduled to take step 2 in mid-november. but since this was when interviews were starting, i really didn't feel like studying for step 2. so i pushed it back to the end of december which was near the end of my scheduling window. but that's like holiday season. and i was still interviewing. hence, i really didn't feel motivated to study either. and i knew my score would go significantly down compared to step 1 if i were to take step 2 cold (although i felt i would still probably pass...but see, the residency directors didn't need to know about this). so i ended up requesting an extension from NBME so that my scheduling window could be extended to Jan-Mar. the sucky thing about that is that i had to pay $50. but it was a $50 well spent because the last thing i needed, after all those interviews, was for a step 2 score to bite me in the ass come ROL deadline day and Match Day. And as I said before, the timing worked beautifully.
So in summary, bigfrank, take step 2 late. then this whole automatic send or non-automatic send issue becomes a non-issue.
