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USMLE Step 2 performance and test administration date in the fourth year of medical school
Charles A Pohl1, Mary R Robeson, Jon Veloski
1Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107-6799, USA. charles.pohl@jefferson.edu
Purpose:
To determine whether the time interval between completing the third-year curriculum and test administration affects a student's USMLE Step 2 score.
Method:
Scores for 846 students in the classes of 2000-2004 were grouped in ten time periods depending on test date. A linear regression model to predict performance on Step 2 using gender, Step 1, and grades in medicine, pediatrics and obstetrics-gynecology was developed based on the class of 1999. Analysis of covariance was used to test the effect of time on scores, adjusting for predicted performance.
Results:
Step 2 scores decreased significantly (p <.001) across time. Students' mean scores were four points higher than predicted in the early months and five to eight points lower near the end of the senior year.
Conclusions:
Students who scheduled Step 2 early in the senior year achieved higher scores, on average, than those who waited until later in the year.
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