Average Board Scores at Mizzou

[tegs15]

I'm trying to make a decision about which school to attended and would like to know the board scores (1&2) at Mizzou. I have heard that the PBL has really raised their scores in recent years. Thanks

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[typeB-md]

I'm trying to make a decision about which school to attended and would like to know the board scores (1&2) at Mizzou. I have heard that the PBL has really raised their scores in recent years. Thanks

realize that board scores do not tell you much about the effectiveness of the school in preparing you for life as a physician. it also does not tell you about the quality of the school in general. if your goal in life was to take the boards year after year, only then would i say that you should make your decision based on this creterion.

make a smarter decision by asking the following questions: 1) what type of clinical exposure will i have in my science years? 2) what is the general attitude of the students as they go about their average week? 3) is the curriculum designed to foster thinking and understanding vs. memorizing board factoids? 4) what do the 3rd and 4th years think of their clinical exposure? 5) what do the 3rd and 4th years think about the science years?

these are just my thoughts but i think many students share the sentiment. as a pre-MS1 you don't understand enough about the politics of the USMLE to fully appreciate the statement "you should not choose a school soley based on its average board score." Also, if 10 students from school A score 260's but the rest of the class does mediocre but at school B, all the students score 235. If school B averages 235 and school A averages 230... can you really make an intelligent decision on which school is better for you?

 

[thackl]

243 and 257 respectively. I think you should go there

 

[Ultra7]

what he (B) said. Plus...
The best predictor of board scores is MCAT scores. This is one major reason why med schools care about MCAT scores--they want their board scores to be high. So if a school has a high board score average, that is mostly an indicator that they admitted good test-takers. It is probably not such a good indicator of how they would prepare a particular student for the boards.

 

[gschl1234]

what he (B) said. Plus...
The best predictor of board scores is MCAT scores. This is one major reason why med schools care about MCAT scores--they want their board scores to be high. So if a school has a high board score average, that is mostly an indicator that they admitted good test-takers. It is probably not such a good indicator of how they would prepare a particular student for the boards.

I thought it was a combination of GPA and MCAT because neither alone is very predictive. Furthermore, as I recall, the average matriculant's MCAT at Mizzou isn't dramatically higher than the national average yet their Board scores are signifcantly higher. It seems like their curriculum is genuinely interactive and suitable for students who learn better in groups rather than passively in lecture. To the OP, think about what would best foster your style when choosing schools and godd luck.

 

[tegs15]

Thanks for all your input. By no means am I only using board scores to determine my medical education. My experience at Columbia was excellent and the students really seemed to appreciate their PBL style curriculum, this type of learning really appeals to me. Yet, I have heard that due to its location yrs 3 & 4 can be lacking in patient exposure and that it is necessary to take all electives away in larger urban areas. I would be willing to do this knowing that my board scores are sufficiently high to make me competitive for ENT or Ortho. Thanks again, any other thoughts will be much appreciated.

 

[ear-ache]

I'm a M4 at Mizzou, and would be happy to answer any questions you (or anyone else interested in Mizzou) may have. Feel free to PM me.

 

[iatrosB]

realize that board scores do not tell you much about the effectiveness of the school in preparing you for life as a physician. it also does not tell you about the quality of the school in general. if your goal in life was to take the boards year after year, only then would i say that you should make your decision based on this creterion.

make a smarter decision by asking the following questions: 1) what type of clinical exposure will i have in my science years? 2) what is the general attitude of the students as they go about their average week? 3) is the curriculum designed to foster thinking and understanding vs. memorizing board factoids? 4) what do the 3rd and 4th years think of their clinical exposure? 5) what do the 3rd and 4th years think about the science years?

these are just my thoughts but i think many students share the sentiment. as a pre-MS1 you don't understand enough about the politics of the USMLE to fully appreciate the statement "you should not choose a school soley based on its average board score." Also, if 10 students from school A score 260's but the rest of the class does mediocre but at school B, all the students score 235. If school B averages 235 and school A averages 230... can you really make an intelligent decision on which school is better for you?

All of these are reasons to choose MU. MU ROCKS!! We love it here and yeah we rock our boards as well, but we have a lot of fun. There is plenty of exposure here in Columbia, even so, there are many options for away rotations in Kansas City and St. Louis.

 

[EctopicFetus]

what he (B) said. Plus...
The best predictor of board scores is MCAT scores. This is one major reason why med schools care about MCAT scores--they want their board scores to be high. So if a school has a high board score average, that is mostly an indicator that they admitted good test-takers. It is probably not such a good indicator of how they would prepare a particular student for the boards.

I would love to know where you got this from I got a 33 on the MCAT and my step 1 was nothing great. I have a friend who had a 26 MCAT and scored 252. From the people I know I cant say that this correlation is true. I will say that people who do well in Med school (A's etc.) tend to do better on the exam. Anyways, they use MCAT scores cause it shows if you learned anything in undergrad, same for the use of Step 1 for residency. My understanding is that there is no correlation in the quality of doc you will be with either MCAT or Step 1 or 2 scores. It is just a way to measure everyone using the same scale. If you really want to know how good a school is look at their match list. Most will give this to you no questions asked. The more competetive fields tend to be Rads, Ortho, Optho, urology, Derm, Rad Onc, and some others.. The less competetive fields are Family, Peds, Medicine.. Now keep in mind some very great applicants choose to go into Family cause they like it, but overall this is a decent way to measure the opportunities that will be available to you when you are done and how they do on the boards (which is a major factor in getting these residencies).

 

[typeB-md]

All of these are reasons to choose MU. MU ROCKS!! We love it here and yeah we rock our boards as well, but we have a lot of fun. There is plenty of exposure here in Columbia, even so, there are many options for away rotations in Kansas City and St. Louis.

so much wisdom from a not-even-completed-first-semester freshman. first semester != medical school experience.

 

[iatrosB]

so much wisdom from a not-even-completed-first-semester freshman. first semester != medical school experience.

Wisdom can be gained by more than just experience Plus we are well into our second block ("semester"), but thanks for playing.