What's a safe Step2CK score for path? What score is an app killer?

[PathNeuroIMorFM]

US MD student on my way to take Step 2 in two weeks now. It seems like the average over the past few years is 245 or around 45th percentile of all Step 2 takers. I've been scoring in that range. My main concern is having a score so low that programs will automatically filter me out. Not shooting for Hopkins/Harvard or anything like that, but I still want to be competitive enough to get a comfortable amount of interviews.

I've primed up a somewhat solid app for pathology and now it all comes down to Step 2 (and my performance on 4th year path electives/aways, of course) with solid amounts of first author pubs, posters, and abstracts from a research year. Nearly half Honors on 3rd year (OBGYN, Neuro, Surg elective, FM), half HP (Peds, IM, Surg, psych). Pretty good MSPE comments. Middle tier medical school with a great path program. Bottom quartile of class due to preclinical performance, but otherwise no red flags or failures.

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[KeratinPearls]

You are a US grad. Getting in somewhere should be no issue. Most programs are filled with foreign grads. As long as you got no personality issues, can get along with others and hard working you should be fine.

If your school has a great path program try to get into there if you can. Hopefully they have multiple fellowships.

 

[cmz]

If you pass and have a pulse... you should be OK.

 

[mike-sheree]

All of the above is true. You have ZERO sweat. Pathology is the default specialty.

 

[ScubaV]

Wow 245 is only 45th percentile? Seems crazy inflated from when I took it. I guess that's a consequence of Step 1 being pass/fail.

 

[KeratinPearls]

If people who are more interested in internal medicine can match into Pathology as a backup, you can definitely get in. I know a few foreign grads who got into the US healthcare system this way and transferred over into internal medicine. Just wonder how prevalent this is.

 

[PathNeuroIMorFM]

Wow 245 is only 45th percentile? Seems crazy inflated from when I took it. I guess that's a consequence of Step 1 being pass/fail.

I should've said that's the average for matched US MDs. Much lower for matched IMGs and slightly lower for matched DOs. It was inflating even before Step 1 turned P/F, but yeah it's absolutely ballooning like crazy. 247 last year. Probably 250 or higher this year. In 2018, 250 was the average for matched derm applicants. Mind blowing stuff.

You ever look at "First Aid for the USMLE Step 1" from 2002 and compare to the 2024? Google a picture. Over 2x the thickness now.

It's kind of a funny story, but I happen to be friends with people far smarter than I am. All 270+ scorers. Every single one has said P/F Step 1 was harder than graded Step 2 and I'm inclined to agree. This exam is still super hard, but I passed my first practice Step 2 fairly easily, whereas Step 1 was a really brutal fight to get above passing.