Does class rank matter if its ONLY preclinicals?

[IcedCoffeeOnly]

I go to a DO school in the East Coast. We only rank preclinical grades based on GPA I think, and clinicals do not count for rank.

Our professors were saying preclinical grades and class rank is as important as boards but.... (x) doubt.

This got me wondering, if we only rank preclinical, should I just focus on boards/research/extracurriculars and worry about not being bottom quartile only (i.e. just focus on being 3rd or 2nd quartile)? For example there is a lot of stuff on our micro and pathology exams that do not show up on AnKing (when I search). I do not want to waste time memorizing these things if I dont need to know for boards. I hear a lot that preclinical grades are not important at all, and if our class rank is only based on preclinical... does our ranking even worth grinding for?

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[j4pac]

We perform holistic review so we look at transcripts. But many schools have gotten away from class rank, and there are some that have gone to pass fail. So it’s still important but it’s probably deemphasized to a degree. Clearly, you want to study and do well for boards. But it’s also my experience that people generally don’t do well in boards without scoring well in classes

 

[PAC2DO]

Agree with the post above. Hard to say you will do well without doing reasonably well on class exams. Essentially you are being tested on similar subjects so you do need a good foundation. Step 1 is more like a brute force memorization but it’s now pass or fail, so you really need to understand the clinical picture for Step 2 which you can’t do well with just pure memorization.

Also, if everything is equal on 2 applicants, programs will pick the one with better GPA. Also, you are applying as a DO, so you want to maximize your chance, so leave no regret by doing the best you can.

 

[Cornfed101]

I did alright on boards and my class rank was bottom of the barrel. So it’s not impossible. I also didn’t match in my primary specialty which could have been from that but I’ll never know.

 

[theletterB]

It ultimately depends on the specialty you're going for. Minimally to non-competitive specialties and even some competitive specialties are not concerned about rank, they just want a first-pass on your boards and a good Level 2 (Step 2 as well depending on the specialty). Some specialties are forgiving about a fail on your transcript as well, typically the ones that have historically been holistic-minded.

You could end up changing your mind on what you want to do though. To set yourself up in the best way, focus on consistently passing your in-house exams then add in integrated board study, extracurriculars, research (if your specialty of interest calls for it), as you feel comfortable. Ultimately you need to pass those in-house exams to progress so those are priority, and there is correlation between in-house scores and board scores. See if you can be a top 10% student from there. If you're just not that student that's fine. It's a balancing act but don't tip the scale one way or the other. Dedicated board study at the end of second year is when you can recover from trying to learn your in-house exams' minutiae and start focusing on high yield content.

 

[IcedCoffeeOnly]

It ultimately depends on the specialty you're going for. Minimally to non-competitive specialties and even some competitive specialties are not concerned about rank, they just want a first-pass on your boards and a good Level 2 (Step 2 as well depending on the specialty). Some specialties are forgiving about a fail on your transcript as well, typically the ones that have historically been holistic-minded.

You could end up changing your mind on what you want to do though. To set yourself up in the best way, focus on consistently passing your in-house exams then add in integrated board study, extracurriculars, research (if your specialty of interest calls for it), as you feel comfortable. Ultimately you need to pass those in-house exams to progress so those are priority, and there is correlation between in-house scores and board scores. See if you can be a top 10% student from there. If you're just not that student that's fine. It's a balancing act but don't tip the scale one way or the other. Dedicated board study at the end of second year is when you can recover from trying to learn your in-house exams' minutiae and start focusing on high yield content.

What are those minimally to some competitive specialties in your opinion?

 

[theletterB]

What are those minimally to some competitive specialties in your opinion?

Peds, FM, EM, Psych, IM. There are probably others but I only list those definitively as I have many colleagues who researched the process in depth for those specialties and matched easily into them because of it (all at their #1 or #2 programs). This isn't to say they're easy at all, just that class rank is not high on those specialties priority list.

I think for the more competitive specialties, it may seem like class rank matters but only due to that correlation like we've mentioned. Derm, Neurosurgery, Orthopedic surgery, for example; they have a high standard set for Level 2 and Step 2, and those scores can come from any student, but you'll likely find a 700 on the COMLEX from the top 10% of the class. Ultimately, residencies need their residents to pass their boards, and the best predictor of that is passing your boards and doing well on them. So I think high rank is just a byproduct, not what programs are actually looking for. If you're going for those specialties you'd be best talking to your school's advisor or hiring a career advisor to get into the details of matching those. They're an uphill battle for everyone.

This one's a little dated (from 2020) but it's an NRMP survey taken by program directors all over the nation in every specialty citing which factors they look at for interviews and ranking: https://public.tableau.com/app/prof....program/viz/PDSurvey2020-Final/Desktoptablet

I believe they send them out every year but the most recent one I can find is from 2022 and doesn't list the factors like this 2020 survey does.

 

[Angus Avagadro]

Class rank has been de emphasized somewhat imo due to Step 2 being such a big factor for competitive slots.. Being in the bottom third may be unhelpful in matching first choice. It will be possible to match programs like those listed above, but maybe not your main choice or location.

 

[DrMcLovin]

I would argue that preclinical grades matter more now than before P/F step 1. Especially in specialties that require audition rotations. Mainly because they need a way to filter through applicants trying to rotate.

 

[Cornfed101]

I would argue that preclinical grades matter more now than before P/F step 1. Especially in specialties that require audition rotations. Mainly because they need a way to filter through applicants trying to rotate.

That’s true, a couple auditions I wanted to apply to said if you’re not top half don’t even apply