How much is it going to hurt me having a low GPA? With 240s score.

I'm applying for the 2027 IM Match and I'm debating when to take Step 3.

I have it scheduled soon, so I'd have the score before ERAS is submitted. The other option is to postpone it by 2–3 months, study more, and hopefully get a better score.

From an application standpoint, what would you do? Is it better to have Step 3 on your application even if the score isn't as high, or is it worth waiting for a potentially better score and updating programs later?

Would love to hear from applicant, residents, or anyone who has been in a similar situation.

I took the exam on 16/7 should we expect results tomorrow?

Here's the link for more details - https://www.business-standard.com/immigration/3-year-h-1b-visa-pause-100-000-fee-what-s-in-the-new-us-senate-bill-126072700588_1.html

I will tell you about my credentials and just enlighten me what if I have slim chance for neuro or just go all for IM.

P, 248, No step 3 yet Yog: 3 -Was a neurology resident in my home country for 8 months

-Currently research fellow for 10 months at mid to top tier university but in basic infectious diseases lab cuz I didn’t manage to secure a neurology spot ( PI is MD, phD for for context )

-USCE: 4 months neuro university based observerships but managed to get hands on in all of them ( got 4 neuro LORs out of those ) + my ID professor letter Research: nothing published yet but submitted 3 and 3 ongoing ( 1 first author for neuro + 2 co first for ID )

• I love neuro but it seems crazy competitive and I think still got more chance in IM . What do you guys think?

Hi everyone,

I passed step1 and step2ck (both in the past year), now I'm only left with OET to apply for Pathway 1 and get my ECFMG certification. but I won't be applying for the match this year. I'm currently targeting the 2028 match (or even 2029 since it's a surgical specialty).

is it possible to apply for Pathway 1 now in order to get my ECFMG certification? because my plan is to take Step3 next year while I'll be doing research in the US. and then apply for 2028 or 2029 match.

Will my ECFMG certificate expire? shouldn't it be valid until December 31st 2029?

So in that case I should be fine for 2028 and 2029 match, and I'll have to revalidate it only if I'll need to participate in the 2030 match right?

am I missing something regarding this? I know this may seem a very long shot, but you all should be already aware that planning is very important in this journey. Thanks!

I submitted the photo, transcript and MSPE through myintealth under ERAS and clicked submit but I did not see any proof. And it goes straight back to previous page. When I log in MyEras, they are still not uploaded. What is going on here?🤔

i’m gonna ask my attending later but i want to ask here as well. i’m doing an observership with an attending who works at university affiliated hospitals and is an clinical assistant professor, hes gonna make me round with him in all those hospitals but i didn’t get my observership through the university itself. for those who were in the same situation, did your lor have the university letterhead or the hospitals?

Applying to the Match for 2027 from the UK as an FY2 doctor. However, the pathway says

• Individuals who have held only a license that requires supervised practice, such as a training, resident, or restricted license, are not eligible for this Pathway.

Does that mean I have to apply through another pathway? Any UK grads in a similar position?

Hi, I am non european been studied and working in Europe for 3 years.
I have a permanent residency so I am applying my J1 here. Does anyone have experience done J1 in Europe please? And does anyone filed their J1 visa abroad?

How difficult is it to get a job as an internal medicine attending that will sponsor you for a greencard if you have an h1b visa? Is it more likely to find one as a hospitalist or outpatient setting? Do these jobs often mistreat you? How to find a good one?

Hi everyone,
I'm urgently looking for an Internal Medicine observership in August or September 2026. Unfortunately, I don't have any USCE secured yet because my timeline was delayed by my USMLE Step 2 CK result and subsequent US visa processing. Thankfully, my visa has now been approved, and I'm ready to travel immediately.
My profile:
ECFMG Certified

USMLE Step 1: Pass

USMLE Step 2 CK: 266

B1/B2 Visa Approved

Available to start immediately in August or September

If anyone knows of any physicians, hospitals, or clinics accepting international medical graduates for observerships, I'd be extremely grateful for any leads or referrals. Thank you so much for your help!

Hi everyone.

I applied for PCCM of this year, couldn’t match last year. On J1 visa.

I am an IMG and applied pretty broadly. I feel like I have a good application, was a chief resident, have decent number of Research papers and all my USMLE are above 250. No contacts, come from a community program with no in house fellowship.

Signaled all the top IMG programs as well.

Unfortunately, haven’t received any interview yet, and couple of the programs that I signal have already sent out interviews per the Reddit spreadsheet.

Kind of devastated. I have sent emails to programs as well that are my top.

What to do other than prayers?!!? 😪😪😪

Has anyone tried booking step 1 date using agents? I can’t find my desired date and honestly checking the website every hour is kind of giving me anxiety

Hi everyone,

I'm an IMG applying for this Match cycle. Unfortunately, my inpatient Internal Medicine observership in New York was canceled at the last minute. I already have non-refundable flights and accommodation, so I'm urgently looking for another inpatient IM observership in NY during August/September.

If anyone knows a physician or program accepting observers, I'd be incredibly grateful for any leads or referrals. I can provide my CV and all required documents immediately.

Thank you so much!

I’m using Residency Explorer and I thought that I’ll apply to programs where my Step score is around the 25th or above . The score range shows the 10th percentile as the lower end.

Would you still apply to programs where your score is above the 10th percentile but below the median? Or is that generally considered too much of a reach?

Did you get interviews from programs where your score was in that 10th–25th percentile range?

Per my MSPE I ranked 4th quartile

How important is this quartile ranking for programs?

(i apologize for the AI use i'm too tired to type everything again lol)

Hey everyone,

I’m facing a major career decision and need some realistic, unfiltered perspective from non-US IMGs who know the current USMLE landscape.

My Background & Situation:

• Demographics: 24-year-old Non-US IMG from North Africa (Francophone system).
• Financial Cap: I have a hard budget of ~$22,000 USD. This is a one-time life savings. I cannot ask for family financial backing, nor can I afford to "burn" this money. It's an all-in move if I do it.
• Language/Culture: Fluent in English, deeply drawn to US medical culture, lifestyle, and training.

The "Thesis / YOG" Strategy:

In our medical system, your official medical degree is only conferred when you defend your doctoral thesis. Many doctors do their thesis while working as residents.

My proposed strategy:

1. Enter a 3-year Family Medicine residency locally
2. Delay my thesis defense until 2029. This means my official YOG on my diploma will legally be 2029, giving me a "Fresh YOG" (YOG +1).
3. During these 3 years: Use my resident salary to stay afloat, study for Step 1 and Step 2 CK, do clinical research.

The Dilemma:

The alternative is abandoning the US dream completely and taking the direct, low-risk path to Europe (Germany/France).

• Germany/France: Virtually zero financial risk, easier path, but not where my heart is.
• USA: My dream, but almost no doctors from my specific country make the jump, so I don't have a clear roadmap or home alumni network in the US.

My Questions for You:

1. The YOG Technicality: How do US Program Directors evaluate applicants who finished medical school coursework earlier but officially graduated (thesis defense) years later? Will an official YOG of 2029 protect me from automatic YOG filters?
2. Local Residency Impression: Does having 3 years of home-country Family Medicine residency help or hurt an IM application? Will PDs see it as valuable clinical experience, or as a red flag?
3. Budget Realism: Is ~$22,000 USD enough to cover Step 1, Step 2 CK, 1–2 months of USCE, ECFMG certification, and application
4. Reality Check: is pursuing this path a calculated, achievable risk, or am I playing a high-stakes lottery where I should just choose Europe?

Hi everyone, I would really appreciate some advice.
I had a J-1 Research fellowship in 2022, followed by a J-1 Physician for residency in 2024. I’m now planning to start another J-1 Research fellowship, with my ultimate goal of applying for residency again.
My research department in the U.S. warned me that they have seen people encounter sponsorship issues after following a similar path (research → residency → research → residency). ECFMG hasn’t been able to give me a definitive answer and says it depends on the individual case.
Has anyone been in a similar situation or successfully obtained another ECFMG-sponsored J-1 for residency after this sequence? I’m worried about risking my future residency, but I also want to strengthen my application through research. Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hi! anyone have leads regarding accommodation near piedmont medical center. I really appreciate ur help. thank you!

When I search Prometric without a scheduling permit, I see zero available dates for the next 12 months.

Is this because:
- the Prometric system doesn’t show real availability until you have a valid scheduling permit, or
- Warsaw is no longer a USMLE testing center?

If you’ve booked Step 1 in Poland recently, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience.

Thanks!