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LOL now it's not an "admissions process" - this has gotta be a joke .. give it up man you're just grasping at straws if you're serious.
Tough question. I'm not a test writer and I don't know if there's a difference between admissions and licensing test questions. But think about this: should there be an admissions process for residency training? Haven't we already gotten admitted to med school, finished our course of study, passed our classes and licensure exams, and graduated? Why do we have to go through a second admissions process?
Of course, the answer is that there are so many applicants and not everyone can get a PGY-1 spot. I understand that. But the fact remains that it's not really an admissions process, and the test isn't an admissions test. Just something for you all to think about.
What I mean is that the exam is by its nature not an admissions exam, but a licensure exam. I base this premise on the USMLE's statement about not using it for selection, taken at face value (as opposed to speculating on the reasoning behind it). That's why I said that it's not really an admissions process - i.e., it's not supposed to be one.
You all seem to be saying: what's the difference? An exam is an exam, no matter what its nature or intent is. And if they make it P/F, it'll just be replaced by another exam, as aPD says. Well, I'm not a test question writer and I don't know what will happen in the future, but I'm dealing with what we currently have in place.