Skipping USMLE step 2?

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Lost Vagus

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I'll make this quick.

DO Student heading in to 4th year. Interested in PM&R. I took the USMLE step 1 and got below average (210).

Is it worth it to take step 2 and try to improve my score, or is it too much of a risk to fail/not improve enough? I'm not a great test taker, and if I could avoid taking the exam without it being a significant disadvantage, I would like to. I currently am scheduled to take both the Comlex 2 and Usmle step 2 in about a month and started studying this week.

Will a poor usmle step 2 score look worse than not taking the exam at all? I've asked this question to a few different people and I'm getting mixed feed back. A few people have told me to just forget usmle step 2, focus on passing Comlex 2, and if I am asked during an interview why I didn't take it.. to say I wanted to focus on Comlex 2. (I've also heard of DO students in the past taking the USMLE step 2 and then not reporting it.. but I don't think this is a good idea at all).

Other people have told me that not taking the USMLE step 2 as a DO student with below average board scores is another strike. What are you thoughts?

Should DO students take USMLE step 2 if they are interested in (Less) competitive fields and want to pursue ACGME residency programs?

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Have you identified what makes you not a great test taker?

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Not really. I mean I've never failed an exam in medical school and I passed all my shelf exams. Just wasn't happy with my step 1 score. I have a lot of test anxiety and end up running out of time because I get bogged down by things I don't know.

I'm sure knowledge gap is part of the problem. I've always been a middle/lower middle of the road medical student. Probably didn't study enough. It is what it is.

I think I'm probably stuck taking step 2.
 
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