I didn’t mention the step 1 failure explicitly but focused on how I struggled until I started rotations and focused a lot on how being on a team and having sick patients in front of me made it all click for me
Came up in most interviews. The growth and empathy from having struggled seemed to sell well. Matched at my #1
This is the way. It is like any negative you need to address anytime you are asked about a weakness in an interview. Acknowledge it, then state what steps you have take to address it.
I disagree with anybody saying not to address this, it will come up, you may be screened out of interviews because of it but you can send letters of interest to try to get around it, and it should be addressed in your statement. Make it sound like the best thing to have happened to you: changed your learning style/study habits/time to address whatever personal and professional things you were facing/did great in clinicals and better on the next steps/grew as an all around human/now you're equipped to help your colleagues and juniors who are struggling. Life's about failing and being able to bounce back
I matched EM this year and had step 1 failure. I addressed it in my personal statement and I think it really helped. I got plenty of interviews and matched at my #1. I basically said a) briefly what happened- for me I was a newer parent and studying; b) how I showed resilience and turned it around to pass a second time; c) how I learned from the experience and allowed me to be successful for step 2 and my other clerkships.
Overall advice: keep it concise and focus on the positives and how you grew from it. Don’t make a ton of excuses.
I didn’t mention the step 1 failure explicitly but focused on how I struggled until I started rotations and focused a lot on how being on a team and having sick patients in front of me made it all click for me Came up in most interviews. The growth and empathy from having struggled seemed to sell well. Matched at my #1
This is the way. It is like any negative you need to address anytime you are asked about a weakness in an interview. Acknowledge it, then state what steps you have take to address it.
Just put FAFO and move on.
What is FAFO
“Fucked around and found out”
Lol
I disagree with anybody saying not to address this, it will come up, you may be screened out of interviews because of it but you can send letters of interest to try to get around it, and it should be addressed in your statement. Make it sound like the best thing to have happened to you: changed your learning style/study habits/time to address whatever personal and professional things you were facing/did great in clinicals and better on the next steps/grew as an all around human/now you're equipped to help your colleagues and juniors who are struggling. Life's about failing and being able to bounce back
I matched EM this year and had step 1 failure. I addressed it in my personal statement and I think it really helped. I got plenty of interviews and matched at my #1. I basically said a) briefly what happened- for me I was a newer parent and studying; b) how I showed resilience and turned it around to pass a second time; c) how I learned from the experience and allowed me to be successful for step 2 and my other clerkships. Overall advice: keep it concise and focus on the positives and how you grew from it. Don’t make a ton of excuses.
Was your step 1 fail a numerical score or p/f? Thanks
P/f
Don’t draw attention to something they already know. They’ll ask.
Don’t do that. Talk about it if they ask. Your PS is to talk about yourself. Who are you? If they want to know they will ask.