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2 hours shorter and no potentially ****ty questions?
This is a different (easier) exam and no longer standardized.
No testing fatigue. Less anxiety over how many you got wrong, because you didnt get a high number of throwaway questions wrong.
This is not the same test and may favor a different type of student compared to the usual exam. Fatigue is NOT a reality for me as much as most of my classmates, but anxiety and getting in my head about wrong questions is more of a factor for me than most of my classmates. Some deal with both, some deal with neither.
Completely changes the exam
 
BIGphysician said:
Whole thing is insane. Not to sound like an old man, but when I took the MCAT it was 8 hours long and a paper test. The amount of nonsense on there was ridiculous. Now usmle pass/fail and insanely shorter. What about granting people like me board certification for life then.
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Back in my day...
 
All examinees will continue to take the full length version of the exam.

What I don't understand is how they managed to contradict themselves in the same statement:

"After hearing the concerns of examinees about perceived inequities, we have decided to administer standard length forms that include unscored questions at all testing sites. While we have evidence to support the score comparability and test fairness of the original plan, we do not want to take an action that may cause additional stress or confusion. (So you couldn't have thought of that before? Thanks NBME.) We appreciate the feedback and remain committed to supporting fair and standard testing conditions to every extent possible while we address the situation this pandemic has created.

We recognize that reduced length testing for all examinees may be desirable, but we are unable to sustain the quality of the USMLE program on behalf of state medical boards without unscored questions. (So how would you have sustained the quality of the shortened exams then?) The use of unscored questions is a standardized practice for professional licensure and other assessments to maintain the quality and fairness of those assessments."

Like do these people actually read what they write? Lol
 
slowthai said:
All examinees will continue to take the full length version of the exam.

What I don't understand is how they managed to contradict themselves in the same statement:

"After hearing the concerns of examinees about perceived inequities, we have decided to administer standard length forms that include unscored questions at all testing sites. While we have evidence to support the score comparability and test fairness of the original plan, we do not want to take an action that may cause additional stress or confusion. (So you couldn't have thought of that before? Thanks NBME.) We appreciate the feedback and remain committed to supporting fair and standard testing conditions to every extent possible while we address the situation this pandemic has created.

We recognize that reduced length testing for all examinees may be desirable, but we are unable to sustain the quality of the USMLE program on behalf of state medical boards without unscored questions. (So how would you have sustained the quality of the shortened exams then?) The use of unscored questions is a standardized practice for professional licensure and other assessments to maintain the quality and fairness of those assessments."

Like do these people actually read what they write? Lol
Click to expand...

The first paragraph addresses the proposed deployment of shortened exams only during Phase 2 events-based testing. They claim to have data that supports both the shortened and normal length exams generate comparable results, so ultimately it would not have mattered if a the large majority of students took the 7 book exam with unscored items and a subgroup took the 5 book exam without unscored items.

From reading the second paragraph I'm guessing that they have received a lot of hate mail over the revelation that 2 full books of Step 1 are unscored items.

These are two separate issues, so I guess I don't see the contradiction.
 
I agree, I think this is a half measure that doesn't really make sense. The test should at least be standardized if nothing else. I felt like death towards the end of Step 1 and Step 2 and had to really fight to power through a lot of the questions. I would bet that eliminating two sections for some but not all students has a measurable impact. As for the spread of infection, certainly taking a test in a testing center with other people poses a non-insignificant risk. However, does spending two more hours in addition to the several hours they will have already spent there add a significantly increased risk? My strong hunch is no, but I'd be happy to change my tune with any data.
 
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