News Flash- AUC 2009 USMLE Step 1 Pass Rate is 95%

EDIT: New results for 2010 are out. Click here


Trying to make a decision on which Caribbean school is best for you? Why don't you check out these new AUC stats on the testing taking class of 2010.
It was announced at the AUC white coat ceremony this past weekend that the first time pass rate for USMLE Step 1 was 95% and 1/3 of AUC students scored a 99, which is truly remarkable.

(Note: 99 does not mean 99th percentile. When you receive the results of your exam you get a two digit and a three digit score. A 99 is the highest two digit score possible, but a student can score a 99/240 or a 99/265. Of course the latter score is near perfect, but both scores are outstanding. They use the two digit score to gauge how well a student does in comparison to the rest of the test takers for that particular exam. For example, someone can score a 230/96 one year, but someone else received a 230/99 a year before, meaning that although both test takers received a 230, the one with the 99 had the better score relative to  his or her  peers for that particular exam.)

Why is the USMLE so important? Well your scores in the step 1 and step 2 portions determines where you go and what you ultimately specialize in for residency. Here is a snippet from the 2009 results of the National Residency Match Program (NRMP):

"USMLE Step 1 scores are a measure of a student’s understanding of important basic science concepts and the ability to apply that knowledge to the practice of medicine.  Although such knowledge is only one facet of applicant qualifications considered by program directors in their selection process [for residency programs], it is the only one that is comparable across applicants, and available during the interview season and prior to the NRMP’s ranking deadline. Overall, U.S. senior applicants [US med school applicants] have mean USMLE Step 1 scores of 224.3 (s.d. = 19.6) and independent applicants [foreign med school applicants] have mean scores of 211.0 (s.d. = 19.7), both well above the minimum passing score of 182." 

 The correlation between the two digit score and the three digit score changes every year, but generally speaking a 99 is something around a 235 and above. If you do manage to score a 99 on the USMLE, you are competitive for most residency programs in the United States (plastic surgery and dermatology are outrageously competitive). For more info/stats on the USMLE and specialty residency programs, the information for the 2009 Residency Match had been compiled by the NRMP and is right here.

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