Figure 2. Number of Active Residents, by Type of Medical School, GME Specialty, and Sex, Table B4. Selected Finding: The distribution of USMLE scores varies widely across specialties. As we’ll discuss below, research is the area where successful IMGs seem to need much more than US Seniors. The USMLE Step 1 scores of matched applicants were listed by specialties, with a mean of 240 for radiation oncology, and a mean of 250 for plastic surgery, the two highest-ranking specialties. 2018. Now go … Residency program directors are busy. (I Scored 270 By Ignoring The Dogma), The Secret to Scoring 250/260+ You Can Learn Right Now: Question Interpretation, UWorld + First Aid: 4 Keys to Mastery (#4 Bumped Me to 270 from 236), Letters of recommendation in the specialty, Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE/Dean's Letter), Personal prior knowledge of the applicant, Audition elective/rotation within your department, Passing USMLE Step 2 CS/COMLEX Level 2 PE, Awards or special honors in clinical clerkships, Graduate of highly‐regarded U.S. medical school, Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) membership, Awards or special honors in clerkship in desired specialty, Demonstrated involvement and interest in research, Applicant was flagged with Match violation by the NRMP, Away rotation in your specialty at another institution, Fluency in language spoken by your patient population, Awards or special honors in basic sciences. Step 1 and Step 2 CK are some of the most important factors for getting an interview. Why Are Step 1 and Step 2 CK Scores Important? For example, while 10.5% of first-year anesthesiology residents had Step 2 CK scores above 259, only 1.9% had both Step 1 and Step 2 CK scores above 259. Who is most likely to be screened out? CONCLUSIONS: Residency specialty match was significantly associated with USMLE Step 1 and USMLE Step 2 CK scores, as was staying in-state or leaving the state for residency. Dermatology matched applicants had a mean of 248, and the distribution of scores … Step 1 and Step 2 CK are some of the most important factors for getting an interview. Among unmatched U.S. seniors, the mean score was 241. The definition of a good Step 1 score varies by medical specialty. For others, this may serve as a reminder to keep digging deep and aiming for the score necessary to match to that residency of your dreams. However, for IMGs, Step 2 CK is another opportunity to stand out. How much does your Step 1 score matter? Here are the inter-median Step 1 scores for 2018 applicants by specialty for US seniors. US Seniors. Physician Retention in State of Residency Training, by State, Table C7. Data include graduates of MD-granting and DO-granting U.S. and Canadian schools as well as graduates of international medical schools. Please contact residentreport@aamc.org with any comments or questions. You’ll be begging for cardio questions - even if vitals make you queasy. Most importantly, Step 2 CK scores tend to be higher than USMLE Step 1 and the cutoffs are more liberal in terms of who does and does not match. However, a strong Step 1 score alone is not in and of itself enough to ensure a match into a competitive specialty. National Resident Matching Program, Charting Outcomes in the Match: U.S. Allopathic Seniors, 2018. Students must have other strong data to support a very strong Step 1 score. Below is a table summarizing USMLE Step 1 averages by specialty reported in the Charting Outcomes in the Match, 2014: Characteristics of Applicants Who Matched to Their Preferred Specialty in the 2014 NRMP Main Residency Match (5th edition) (PDF, 290 pages) A very good performance on Step 1 can help when it comes to securing a top-rate … Also, we’ll look at the average research successful applicants had. Although percentile ranks for Step 1, Step 2 CK, and Step 3 are shown in the same norm table, it is important to note that scores on the three Steps are not directly comparable. We’ve compiled this data into a table below summarizing average USMLE® Step 1 scores by specialty.