P/F Step One

[Guest]

Hey, can someone please explain this whole pass fail step one thing... is this likely to happen, when will it be/ continue to be decided, and where can I read more about this? What will this do to neurosurgery applicants of the future?

[Focus]

It isn't going to happen

[Guest]

What changes will happen then?

[Guest]

I haven't seen an actual article about it but just talk among my school administration and faculty.

Pros to P/F: Less stressful, people's feelings don't get hurt, more weight to clinical evals, letters, research.

Cons: There is a natural inclination to favor applicants from top med schools which may be confounded with the fact that these students are more research-inclined. If Step 1 is P/F it will be hard for applicants w/o home programs or from non-prestigious schools to match into neurosurgery because this was a good exam to dig in and try to get a standout score.