Step 1 Score

Yes, your score is fine. I believe that the last few years that the average score for matched applicants was right at or around your score (238, I believe). So, you're right where the average successful applicants falls, and about half of the ortho residents out there got a lower score than you. I don't think there's a program in the country that has a cutoff higher than that. Feel free to correct me if anyone knows of one.

This site is generally very skewed towards people with higher scores and big numbers/applications. I got a 229 and matched at my number 1 program, so don't worry about your score. It's only one part of your application and your score is high enough to get you in the door. After you get in the door for an interview, it really gets much less important anyway.

rwbrhp29

You grade on step 1 is a C

"I don't think there's a program in the country that has a cutoff higher than that."


There are multiple programs with the the cut off higher and much higher than 237. You should be fine though.

Really? Which ones? What are their cutoffs? I thought my 241 would make me competitive everywhere? Thanks for the info.

I'd like to hear which programs you know of also. I've never heard anyone claim a cutoff higher than 235, and when I say cutoff, I mean that it's the bare minimum to keep your application out of the trash. Even on this site, where everyone has allegedly heard everything straight from the program director, I've never heard of a cutoff higher than 235. Not saying your wrong, am just interested to hear the specifics.

Don't know about cut offs, but I scored much higher than the poster and sure didn't get anywhere close to the number of interviews as programs I applied to.

I matched, and high on my list. There is no such thing as "sure thing" in orthopaedics. Just saying...

I don't want to throw the names of the programs, as none of the PD's would be happy seeing there secrets being sold out on the website, but I know for the fact that there is a program on the Midwest with the cutoff of 250 ( unless you rotated or you are well connected), there is also one program on West coast that invites all rotators plus highest scores on the list (which usually makes a cutoff around 254-255). One TX program has a cutoff at 240. Again, 237 is a solid score that should give you a decent number of interviews.

I am a resident at a very competitive program in the north east and the average Step 1 score for people who got interviews and did not rotate was 254 last year. This should not discourage those who dont have this, just know that you have to make up in other areas of your application

Holy s**t I'm screwed then. At least I can count on 3 interviews. my home school and 2 aways.... maybe?

ROL_2010 I've seen you post a lot of garbage on here. Why don't you buy a horse and go live in the mountains somewhere and stop bothering people. A 237, like someone else said, is right around the average from the last match data. You will be fine.

Stop scaring the poor med students people.

A score of 237 is plenty good. As has been pointed out, it's slightly higher than the average for successful applicants. There is no program out there with a higher cut-off.

The Midwest program referred to is most likely a certain place on the southwest coast of lake michigan that's notorious for only interviewing rotators and a very select handful of other applicants. So, they are a complete outlier.

Everyone in orthopedics will tell you that board scores are merely a screening tool, and at many programs, a very soft screening tool at that. It's by no means a measure of how good a surgeon, or a doctor, you will be. And that's coming from someone who scored significantly higher than 237.

Stop scaring the poor med students people.

A score of 237 is plenty good. As has been pointed out, it's slightly higher than the average for successful applicants. There is no program out there with a higher cut-off.

The Midwest program referred to is most likely a certain place on the southwest coast of lake michigan that's notorious for only interviewing rotators and a very select handful of other applicants. So, they are a complete outlier.

Everyone in orthopedics will tell you that board scores are merely a screening tool, and at many programs, a very soft screening tool at that. It's by no means a measure of how good a surgeon, or a doctor, you will be. And that's coming from someone who scored significantly higher than 237.

You do realize that ROL 2010 is an anonymous username created for people to encourage posting of their ranklists back on matchday and that the password was made public. Its likely. Several d bags...

237 is perfectly fine and will get youin the door to a lot of programs.

Yes, there are programs that screen based on a very high step 1 score. I wouldn't worry about them, because chances are, even if you had a super high step 1 score, you wouldn't get an interview anyway. It becomes somewhat of a 'lucky' process to getting an interview at any program, regardless of their step 1 score screening process or AOA screening process.

I tend to agree with the previous guy. A 237 is pretty good and should open most doors to interviews.

Plus to answer your other question, gender doesn't seem to matter, at least stat-wise. There's a study that showed that rankings of identical ERAS applications which differed in the gender of the applicants didn't significantly affect ranking. (Sherl, S. JBJS, Jan 2001)

An away rotation at the site, USMLE step 1 score, med school rank, interview performance, and letters are found to have the highest correlation with ranking, respectively. (Berstein, JBJS, Nov 2002)

That being said, I'll give an anecdotal example fwiw. I'm currently rotating at a program in a medium-size city with historically low numbers of female residents. I asked the clerkship director why that might be. I was told that the program did interview and rank females, but it appeared to him that the female applicants who interviewed there - who were also relatively high-quality applicants - frequently accepted offers elsewhere for reasons, such as more desirable location.

this is kinda weird but let's explore it,
whats the lowest step 1/2 score you have heard for somebody who matched @ Ortho.

i hope the revelations will be supportive to all the readers.

Obviously, in the long history of orthopaedics, there will be always people with low boards score who managed to get into ortho program. I know guy who matched with Step1 score of 192 (he is not an ortho resident anymore...) I also know about the girl who failed Step1 and got something around 200 in the second attempt - currently, an ortho resident in a very reputable program.

237 is more than fine. If the average is 238 (which it is) it means that there are people (many people) with scores lower than that matching. If you were saying you had a 200 the discussion would be different.

Just keep doing well, do well on your clerkships, get good LOR while on ortho rotations, and get a higher step 2 score than your step 1 score (not that you have to take it before applying but some schools want it).

Your step 1 score is not going to prevent you from matching

Also, pleasematch is listed at the end of ROL_2010's responses-so he is hiding from no one. Not much to say other than, if this idiot's prayers were answered and he did match, his program regrets the choice.