Comprehensive Exams

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Are comprehensive exams pretty much standard at most medical schools during the basic science years? (I know of one that definitely does it and administration thinks it's the greatest thing since sliced bread). I'm talking about the end of the semester, everything since day 1, all subjects kind of thing. I understand that boards are comprehensive and learning is cumulative, yadda yadda yadda... but to end a semester, this seems a bit over the top when one only has a week or less to prepare for one of these things after wrapping up a bunch of other exams.

So yeah, I'm wondering if this is standard or not in both DO and MD schools.

EDIT: not talking about NBME but just end of the semester stuff administered by the school.

At AZCOM, the only courses that have cumulative exams are OMM, clin med, and then a cumulative (for the entire school year) final for pharm in spring of MS2.

Not cumulative at LMU-DCOM. Thank god.

We had one at LECOM last Spring at the end of our OMS-I year. It didn't count towards our grade, it was just to give us an idea of which subjects we were strongest in (so we'd study over the summer maybe?) Since it didn't count, it didn't bother many people at all (except for the gunners that felt like they needed to ace it to make a point.) If it would have been for a grade though, it would have sucked a whole lot more.

Originally Posted by Slane

We had one at LECOM last Spring at the end of our OMS-I year. It didn't count towards our grade, it was just to give us an idea of which subjects we were strongest in (so we'd study over the summer maybe?) Since it didn't count, it didn't bother many people at all (except for the gunners that felt like they needed to ace it to make a point.) If it would have been for a grade though, it would have sucked a whole lot more.

From what I've heard, it's to show the departments where the students stand so they can figure out if they have been effective in teaching.

Originally Posted by bleeker10

From what I've heard, it's to show the departments where the students stand so they can figure out if they have been effective in teaching.

That's a really good idea.

NSU does not have them.

Originally Posted by fiznat

Not cumulative at LMU-DCOM. Thank god.

You must be a first year. Second year the systems(most of them) have cumulative finals. Also EPC is cumulative...ACLS/PALS/TEAM/REACTS +numerous other things on that final....OMM is somewhat cumalative as well(at least second year) but its doable....

i believe KCUMB has a cumulative final at the end of first year that students must pass...

It's not standard at all. This is one of many questions that I wish I had looked into for each school before choosing a school (# of attempts at the COMLEX just in case, comprehensive exams, rule on getting kicked out based on academics, etc.). You should not plan on this, but I saw some classmates get kicked out and just read about someone on SDN, but that would not have happened at another osteopathic medical school. Policies should be more standard and not school specific.

Originally Posted by RIdoc11

i believe KCUMB has a cumulative final at the end of first year that students must pass...

And a cumulative OMT final at the end of second year over both years that students must also pass. This isn't a bad thing.

Our school makes us get a minimum score on the NBME (not NBOME) practice before we take the boards. Weird. Hopefully that changes.