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With great hope of some replies I am posting my doubts and expressing my apprehensions here. Please do reply:
My credentials so far..
IMG from India
YOG:2008 April
Step 1: 231/96 2008 june
Step 2 CS 2nd attempt pass 2009 april
Have Green Card
Will apply next year for 2012 match.
Now my problem: I am yet to take ck. Now my date is 10th of Nov. My preparation is good. NBME 2,3,UWSA are 630,550 and 640 respectively online all but done in untimed mode. Today did NBME 4 in timed mode and it was 460(correlated 3 digit score 207). Couldn't reach last 5 questions in all blocks. What do you advice me to do? How to improve speed in 9 days? I am to revise the whole stuff as well. Should I go for the test or postpone it? Additional questions below:
If with this speed I get about 200+/low 80s in the real test, will I have some chance of getting into residency or not? I can do some externship for about 4 months in the coming months. Please advice, really scared. How is the trend going this year? Suppose 85 in CK, will there be any chance for IM?
Thank you guys and all the best for your match.
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This years match going tough. Next year is gonna be tougher. Don't expect any interview below 99 in CK. Also step 3 and atleast 1 year of externship is a must. observerships don count.
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u already have poor scores in step 1... y do u wanna screw up ur application by another poor score in ck?
any score less than 240 is unworthy of consideration... thats how stiff the competition is this yr... take a guess as to how tough it will b next yr!
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Your problem is no program is going to look at a FMG/IMG without step2. Plus if u want to start applying its late in the season so your chance are slim. Take the exam when u are ready.
Alot of us are frustrated here so just take your time and do the job right.
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Your going to have hard time getting pass the filter with Failed CS, and not having the CK score is not going to help your cause. If you apply now, its kinda late in the season. But if you feel like it's something you must do, go for it!
Being FMG + CS Failure = Very BAD (lots of program consider the CS easiest USMLE exam, and for you to fail raises a major red FLAG) This comes straight from PC mouth. Because many program say you can fail step 1 and 2, but not CS. So I has to ask what was the reason for that and got the above answer! Oh, from my experience in the hospital in US. The patient are starting to complain that there are too many doctors that don't understand them and are hard to understand spoken English. I believe more hospital are trying to go toward fluent english speakers (one reason CS is so important). Your going to see there will be less and less FMG friendly programs!!! People in the US is starting to also become more nationalist, especially with all the Terrorist Issues. I hate how this world is going but it's hard to stop something that has been snowballing.
If you look at the pictures of some of the FMG friendly programs as I have, you will see that they are starting to take more American looking resident vs foreign looking resident. I guess the saying it's a "White Man's World" is actually coming true. Why else would there be a Picture slot in ERAS? So, they can see what you look like and decide base on your color, race, weight, gender, etc....
Another thing most program are looking for is USE!!!! The want someone that now how the system works and western style medicine. Citizen > Green card> Visa (because being from different country mean your probably going to have hard time getting into University programs. Unfortunately Community programs wants people that will more the likely stay in the surrounding community and practice medicine (if your not citizen your likely not going to stay in the community) If you apply to a community program in the country (say University of Ten. Jackson, they will select candidates from their states or community first and work from there!)
Sorry if I sound negative. Just want you to know the FACT. ERAS will love to take your money!!! (I HATE ERAS) But the odds of you getting pass the computer filter will be very difficult as people with 90s on exam can't even get interview!!!!
I wish people will start talking the truth and stop talk SH!@#. Because sometime there are a lot of misinformation out there.
If you have more questions, I'll do my best to answer them.
Good Luck to your test and Match!
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after reading your views it seems I would quit this whole thing. I don't feel much energetic. So this time no one with an attempt on CS got an interview? Not even one guy and not even one interview??????????? Please if someone got, let me know..
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Look I'm not saying 1 failure on CS is a death sentence! But as a program, they will have filters for the 2000 applications they get. Then they will take the ones that made it through filter as individuals. All programs will have different criteria for filters, some find steps score more important, some will make CS more important, or some will consider them together as a whole.
Just look at your overall application and decide for yourself if your competitive! I know some people apply to like 200 programs and get no response or rejection. I'm guessing it waisted $4000-$5000. I can't blame people for going all out to pursue a dream and a better life for their family! Thats why I hate ERAS so much. They found a system to take people's money and not do a dam thing really to help them in their career, but take people's money like a vacuum. Why else would you have to pay for ERAS and NRMP? Should they not be one? Something to think about.
Good Luck on the Steps and Match
