The way it works depends on when you apply to ERAS....the deal is that if the NBME has graded and recorded your step 2 score when you send out your residency applications then it will be included on your ERAS transcript...(keep in mind this may be sooner than when you get your grade by mail) however if you take it a few weeks before you apply to your residency programs....then they wont have it graded yet and only your step I gets sent....then you have the option to resubmit your USMLE transcript...which will then include all the tests you have taken and have been graded to that date......

A 239 is plenty good... you should make it past all USMLE filters.... but keep in mind that there is a lot more to the application than board scores....I think they are important but people tend to use them as a yarsdtick on here because they are the most tangible thing we have...


I waited to take my step 2 exam till end of november....just take it after your clerkships....its easy and you will do good if you got a 239..on I...I would say most people get the same score or do a little better on II....its really hard to screw up...I studied 7 days after 4 months of otho...I didnt even give a $hit and got a 245...so take it seriously and it will be icing on the cake for your appliacation...

All this crap about waiting...if i would have taken it sooner...when I cared...I could have had a nice score to show off at interviews...so I would just smoke it early when it matters....you take it later you will just be pissed cause you dont have a 250 on step 2 to brag about...

you have a strong score. When I applied, I had a lower step I score (in the mid-hi 220's, I think). A bunch of interviewers on the trail questioned why I took step II early, saying that it was risky. I ended up doing much better on Step II, but many agreed that it was risky and that it probably would have hurt to do worse more than it would help to do better

perpetual did a great job of summarizing the issue and I think I would agree with everything he said. I would recommend taking it late enough that you are not forced to put it on your application in case it goes bad, but early enough that the score has the potential to help you if it goes well. Plus, it is nice to cruise the rest of the year and not have to worry about that test. If anyone ever finds themselves in the predicament where they took the deuce too early and score poorly, there MAY be a way to release your Step I individually to programs outside of ERAS. It may be an urban legend and I dont know anyone who has done it, but I recall one of my faculty members last year saying there was some way to circumvent the system if you got in a bind. It sounds a little hard to believe and at least borderline dishonest, but I guess if someone was in a bad enough spot, it may be worth exploring.
My opinion is that your step II score can help depending on your step I. If you are less than 220 I think you basically have to take it. In the 220-230 range you should strongly consider it if you can put together some time to study for it. In the 230-240 range it is probably optional but you may be more likely to hurt yourself than help. In the >240 range, it is probably advisable to wait. I was in the 230s and bumped up my score enough that people commented on it and I was glad that I did it. I have a buddy who bumped his score up dramatically from the 220 range and know that it did nothing but help him. Heck, I even know a guy who went from a 260 step I to a 280 step II and I am sure that didnt hurt (although this obviously cant be typical). The flip side is that I also know a couple of people who dropped their score and subsequently had a pretty high sphincter tone until the match. As perpetual said, your test scores are not the only part of your application and you should obviously take into account the relative strength of the rest of your application and how much work you are realistically going to put forth studying for step II.
The ortho match is tough and all of the applicants are so stellar that every little bit counts. Doing well on Step II just adds more proof that you are a consummate overachiever and that you will be likely to do well on boards whether it is true or not.