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I've just received my Step 1 score, and needless to say I was shocked and now I am worried about residency programs. I go to a top tier school (w/in the top 10 in almost all areas), but my step 1 score was just below 200. I'm worried about even receiving interviews.
I'm just in the start of my third year, so I'm not sure what I want to go into quite yet. Aside from my low step 1 score, I don't have any red flags in my application. I received some, but not all honors my 2nd year (not a super star, but not a struggler), and have a publication from research in the first summer. Obviously, have yet to get LOR, clerkship feedback, etc...
I guess my bottom line question is...am I doomed? And should I take step 2 earlier so my score reports are in at application times...and can this be redeeming if I get a decent score?
Thanks in advance!
You are not doomed. A low step 1 score is not the end of the universe, and a score of 190-200 is not completely horrible.
There is no question that if you are interested in the most competitive fields -- Derm, Rads, Plastics, RadOnc, etc -- your life just got a lot more difficult. You may simply not match anywhere based on your Step 1 score in these fields.
In the next tier of fields: Anesthesia, EM, IM, etc, you will likely do fine. US students who FAIL step 1 match in these fields, although they can struggle to do so.
In the least competitive fields: Psych, Path, etc , you will certainly do fine.
You can't fix your step 1 score. So you do what you can:
1. Score as well as possible on Step 2. Consider taking Step 2 early if you think you will do well. If not, take it such that the score arrives in Nov/Dec, then you can choose to release or not based on your score. If you are interested in the most competitive fields, an early outstanding step 2 is vital.
2. Do as well as you can in your third year rotations.
And, as a famous book suggests, DONT PANIC!
