Step1 scores are everything

[yowhassupdude]

It seems that step 1 scores really are as important as they say. Looking at the stats for the ortho match: http://www.uicomp.uic.edu/Students/NRMP - Charting Outcomes in the Match.pdf

US medical students scoring above a 240 matched ~95% of the time.

That's pretty surprising, given all the horror stories I hear of people with great numbers not matching. Perhaps someone is spreading rumors....

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[ddmo]

That is a pretty sweet link for any specialty, thanks for posting!

 

[Kingnick32]

I second that. Will be on my favorites.

 

[Reaganite]

It seems that step 1 scores really are as important as they say. Looking at the stats for the ortho match: http://www.uicomp.uic.edu/Students/NRMP - Charting Outcomes in the Match.pdf

US medical students scoring above a 240 matched ~95% of the time.

That's pretty surprising, given all the horror stories I hear of people with great numbers not matching. Perhaps someone is spreading rumors....

This has to be the greatest piece of information to ever hit SDN. I swear, the next time I see someone post a "Can I match with 260," I'm gonna slap them. Also, we've learned that either 1. only the top 1-2% of all medical students post here (Go look at the USMLE scores section to see what I'm talking about) or 2. half of what is posted here is, well, bull****.

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

This has to be the greatest piece of information to ever hit SDN. I swear, the next time I see someone post a "Can I match with 260," I'm gonna slap them. Also, we've learned that either 1. only the top 1-2% of all medical students post here (Go look at the USMLE scores section to see what I'm talking about) or 2. half of what is posted here is, well, bull****.

Arg, the link is broken. Dang

 

[yowhassupdude]

This has to be the greatest piece of information to ever hit SDN. I swear, the next time I see someone post a "Can I match with 260," I'm gonna slap them. Also, we've learned that either 1. only the top 1-2% of all medical students post here (Go look at the USMLE scores section to see what I'm talking about) or 2. half of what is posted here is, well, bull****.

I think that it's mostly #2

Medical students/doctors are a neurotic bunch to begin with--I find that after being around people in medicine for too long, I am less able to interact with normal people in the world--scary!!!

Combine that with the setting of an anonymous forum where anyone can post anything they want, and you're gonna get a lot of bull.

Bottom line is, do well on your step one, and decent on your wards, and you'll match. You don't have have to cure cancer or anything.

Even if you don't do well on step one, that's no problem (unless you wanna do derm or plastics). With ortho, 70% of people with a score between 210-220 matched.

So chill out people.

 

[Blue Rover]

Arg, the link is broken. Dang

It's also up at the NRMP and AAMC sites.

www.nrmp.org/matchoutcomes.pdf

www.aamc.org/matchoutcomes

 

[Pilot Doc]

More details ...

Columns are

Step 1 / UNmatch rate / #matched / # unmatched

0-190 61% 7 11
191-200 55% 17 21
201-210 47% 33 29
211-220 29% 54 22
221-230 24% 94 30
231-240 12% 129 17
241-250 7% 141 10
251-260 5% 60 3
261+ 0% 20 0


I found the rank list length data more interesting. Data is below with same column headings as above. Contiguous Rank List Length is substituted for Step 1 (CRLL is the number of ortho programs in a row. If you rank 5 ortho programs only, your CRLL is 5. If you rank 5 ortho and 5 GS with #1 ortho, #2 GS, #3 ortho, etc., your CRLL is 1) Looks like MANY people are going to FAR too many interviews. Your chances of matching don't improve with over 10 programs ranked, but a large chuck of the applicant pool is ranking 12-16 programs.



1 88% 3 21
2-3 57% 27 36
4-5 42% 45 32
6-7 21% 55 15
8-9 15% 81 14
10-11 4% 87 4
12-13 3% 89 3
14-15 3% 117 4
15+ 4% 51 2

 

[ChicagotoCali]

Hey, I am currently an MSIII who is mostly sure on Ortho as a career. My dilemma is that I REALLY, REALLY want to be in california for residency, but I don't know how competitive I will be for interviews.

My step 1 score was a 233 and I currently attend Univ Chicago. I don't have any ortho research experience but I am planning on taking a year off to do this.

I've heard LA ortho programs have step 1 cutoffs ~240--do I have a shot? Also, would it help to do my yr of research with some ortho guys in LA? Any input from residents/students familiar with the crazy california match would be appreciated.

THANKS!

 

[surgical06]

some SCHOOLS may, although i doubt it. harvard's ortho cutoff is 230 and thats from the PD's mouth. anyway, the AAMC released match data, you should take a look at it, the top mean USMLE scores are around 230-235. statistically that would be hard for every program in cali to fill their slots each year with only students that did over 240, especially if they are not a top 15 program. good luck with everything.

 

[sscooterguy]

Hey, I am currently an MSIII who is mostly sure on Ortho as a career. My dilemma is that I REALLY, REALLY want to be in california for residency, but I don't know how competitive I will be for interviews.

My step 1 score was a 233 and I currently attend Univ Chicago. I don't have any ortho research experience but I am planning on taking a year off to do this.

I've heard LA ortho programs have step 1 cutoffs ~240--do I have a shot? Also, would it help to do my yr of research with some ortho guys in LA? Any input from residents/students familiar with the crazy california match would be appreciated.

THANKS!

Email the secretaries for each program you're interested in. The contact info is usually listed on FREIDA or the program's departmental page easily found on google. About half of the programs I emailed admitted their cut offs, and the other half said, "we like to see above...". Most will share info if you ask.

I hope you are taking a year off because you want to, not because you feel you have to. Try to make as many contacts as you can, and if you can swing it, do research in Cali. A phone call from your chair or directors go a long long way. The chances of your attendings having contacts in Cali are much more likely the more Westward you go of course. If you are doing research in Chicago, declare your intentions early and hopefully you'll find someone with contacts in Cali. I let everyone know my intentions to head out East, and I quickly found people with contacts where I need to go.

Good luck.
sscooterguy

 

[HtSht2BoneDoc]

well going to a CA school ill tell You the cutoff is 235 for an interview at my program in SOcal UC school. Also I rotated at 2 other cal p[roga and most of the residents at the 2 other progs I went to USC and Stanford had 240,50s mainly. I

 

[Debridement]

Hey, I am currently an MSIII who is mostly sure on Ortho as a career. My dilemma is that I REALLY, REALLY want to be in california for residency, but I don't know how competitive I will be for interviews.

My step 1 score was a 233 and I currently attend Univ Chicago. I don't have any ortho research experience but I am planning on taking a year off to do this.

I've heard LA ortho programs have step 1 cutoffs ~240--do I have a shot? Also, would it help to do my yr of research with some ortho guys in LA? Any input from residents/students familiar with the crazy california match would be appreciated.

THANKS!

First off, you are a liar. Within 4 minutes, you posted 2 different messages saying that you are a MSIII at U of Chicago and Northwestern. So either you were lying then, lying now or lying both times. If your USMLE score doesn’t sink your application, your lack of truthfulness probably will.

Secondly, without some connection to California (as with any region) I doubt that you will get many interviews, regardless of board score. With your middle-of-the-road score, I doubt you get any at all. If you can’t live anywhere else but the Left Coast, then I would try doing research in that area of the country, having connections via college, being from there, writing a compelling essay, etc.

Best of luck— next time, try being more honest and less annoying.