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I agree with queenidine.
Not just in this country, I have given some exams in U.K as well. The LOWER cut off
value for scores always mean that the difficulty level of the exam was much HIGHER.
Well, people who have got 99s have every reason to boast. People work through it very hard.
It doesn't get offered on a silver plate. So there is no harm in it.
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@examusmle..that's exactly how i think too...but just to put everything in a nutshell..i'm a just a lil disappointed with this new ecfmg announcement...i worked really hard for step 1..and despite my exam which blew out in disaster i was at least happy to ve scored 99 which kept my morale high untill now...but i guess and hope everything happens for the best...so god bless everyone!!!!!!!!1
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yeah, queenidine.
It is disappointing. For candidates who like to gauge their performance in some ways,
a decent two digit score was like a reward, at least some kind of reassurance. Also not many people,
especially outsiders understand the 3 digit scoring system and how it works. True that 3 digit scores
is everything, BUT 2 digit score is still something..
Even doing observership is not like doing a formal training or a hands on experience. Does it mean that
it would never count at all? When we do all the hard work, what is the sweat for ERAS to tag the 2 digit scores along, even if it is not considered for the final short listing purposes.
Let alone the sacrifices we got to make in order to come to this country, survive until we get or don't
get residency. But, it is a freaking 3 steps which actually includes 4 exams including the subdivisions like
CK, CS etc. consisting of 8-9 long hours each. Even if you take step 1, it consists of 7 main subjects but if
you also consider sub-sections it is totally 19 subjects altogether.
Let me ask a question, if those panel members have to sit for these same exams along with us, how
many of them do you think will get a 99?
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Wow. Sounds like a lot of anger. I guess it is fairly justified - after all we're spending a lot of time, money, effort and sacrificing so much for a process we don't fully understand so when things go wrong, we're not too sure of how to make adjustments. The new system sucks (or seems to suck)but what can we do? I got 99/239 and 99/245 in step 1 and CK.
So I prefer to focus on what I do know and can change. Like I said earlier, the more detailed transcript may contain information as to the exam difficulty level, the link I posted shows queenidine's score of 236 is good for most residency programs to get an interview - and once you get the interview the rest is up to you and how you present yourself, and getting an interview is probably only about 40-50% step1 and Ck. There are many other factors to focus on. I know IMGs with 99 who did not match and IMGs with 80 who did match at first attempt because of other factors.
Queenidine, just keep working hard and praying and you'll be rewarded. Research your residency programs really well and call them if you don't see IMG specific info on their websites. Check their current residents for IMGs and see if they have reasonable requests for IMGs (I hear if you see 1 year of research experience, don't waste your time!). Good luck everyone and God bless! Residency search:
https://freida.ama-assn.org/Freida/user/...mSearch.do
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i doubt how they would compare three digit scores of 2010 with three digit scores of 2009. because since 2010 the number of questions are decreased and obviously the score will be decreased. thats why the cut off for 99 has decreased since 2010.
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@chitturi: I'm afraid that's incorrect. The 3 digit score is calculated in such a way that it is comparable over time regardless of the number of questions. After all, a person who wrote step1 in 2008 and couldn't match will have his results compared to someone who wrote step 1 in 2009 if he tries to match again the following year. Here's how they put it on usmle.org:
"On the three-digit scale, most Step 1, 2 CK, or 3 scores fall between 140 and 260. The mean score for first-time examinees from accredited medical school programs in the United States is in the range of 210 to 230, and the standard deviation is approximately 20. Your score report will include the mean and standard deviation for recent administrations of the examination. ALL SCORE USERS ARE URGED TO RELY ON THE 3-DIGIT SCORE SINCE ITS EQUIVALENCE IS MAINTAINED OVER TIME THROUGH STATISTICAL PROCEDURES. The two-digit score is derived from the three-digit score and the current passing score. Consequently, two-digit scores are not equivalent over time across the entire scale. The two-digit scale is used in score reporting because some medical licensing authorities have requirements that include language describing a "passing score of 75." The two-digit score is derived in such a way that a score of 75 always corresponds to the minimum passing score"
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thanks kdox. thats hepful. so who is the right beneficiary with this new change
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Depends on how high your 3-digit score is and which program you're trying to enter! I'm waiting for July (start of the ERAS 2012 season) then I'll check with school programs who previously gave a 2-digit cut off scores for IMGs to find out what their new guidelines are. Then I'll know if I've been kicked in the groin! Good luck!
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wow.!!! this thread looks more like a brain stormer now...i guess the bottom line is 'WE'LL GET WHAT WE DESERVE' so the only key is to KEEP WORKING HARD...i am much thankful to KDOX..for sending me the link regarding how various programmes rate u at ur different aspects in the credential list...i believe..how they decode the scores will ever remain a mistery...
thanks to everyone who responded to my query......!!!
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