Concerned about Tufts

[Quick Slvr]

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Looking at the board scores for part one (from class of 98 to 03) were exceptional, but the 04 and 05 board scores ranked considerably lower. I remember going to the interview and asking this question but i never got a clear answer to why this happened? Were there any changes made to the curriculum that would explain why this happened? 🙁 I really want to get in to a speciality program and solid board scores will get me there, but i am just concerned that the way the program is set up it will not put me in a very favorable position to attain good scores. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[LITTLED]

Hey quick-
I remember wondering the same thing. I think it was a student on SDN that attributed the ICE (introduction to clinical experience) or something like that to the lower board scores. It makes sense, I think they just introduced the program 2 years ago. At the interview, they made it sound more like a fluke than anything else. But I'm not sure.....it might be because of ICE.
Hope that Helps!

 

[drPheta]

Well, if it makes you guys feel better, scores and trends from the past can pretty much be wiped out. With the computerization of the NBDE, Tufts has offered to let D'06 students take the exam after Fall of their second year. I don't know if the D'06 did that or not. I think our class, D'07, and every class beyond will end up taking them whenever we want after Fall of our second year.

To tell you the truth, trends don't say much. Especially since a new format is being used, and students need to adjust. Want to make the trend reach back to where it was? Get the class to start studying for the boards over summer. September to December isn't really that much time for boards prepping when you have loads of classes.

The 04/05 scores could be a fluke, they could be because of the ICE program, but they could be anything. See how D'06 does on them, and make sure you give yourself ample time to productively study. Time management is the name of the game these next 4 years.

 

[Quick Slvr]

Dr pheta, so how much time will that give us from when our classes will be over to the time we take the exam? What is the best way to study for this exam in terms of time managment, should we start studing for it after each semester is over ( semester breaks) or just study 4 weeks solid until the exam?

 

[drPheta]

Actually, I don't know how much time there is between your last exam and the time you take the boards. I'll try to find that out and see what the deal is. As far as studying, it all depends on how you learn. You'll figure out your study habits when you start dental school. Chances are, they'll be a modification of how you studied in undergrad, which will translate into your board studies. Personally, studying after every semester seems like overkill. You only get 2 weeks off for winter break, use them wisely and have fun. Summer after your first year (before the winter you will take the boards) should give you ample time to have fun and prepare at a moderate pace. Then again, it all depends on the exact date the boards are, if the school gives a week off for studying before them, and how your study habits are.

Don't stress so much about them, yet. They're about 2 years away from you, and you seem more worried than I am. I have a half a year till I take mine. Honestly, summer is going to be my refresher of first year courses (most of whcih are on the boards part I), and as the semester progresses, I will devote much of my free time to keeping up with the new info while maintaining my old info. We'll see how it works, but more info on this about the scheduling of classes and the boards needs to be researched.

BTW, an upperclassman told me he studied the Dental Decks only, and scored fairly well. He easily passed, and that was all he was looking for. So, Tufts definitely backs you up to pass. Getting higher in the 90's, like anything at this level, is progressively harder to accomplish, and will require much more work for each equivalent amount of return. I.E. it costs more work for each point the closer you get to 100.

 

[Quick Slvr]

Thanks for your help Dr Pheta! The info about how long we have after the last exam to when we take our boards would be great! thanks again!

 

[drPheta]

I emailed Mark Gonthier, and this is what's going on at the moment.

--- Begin Quote

As it stands, you can't be approved to sit for Part I before
early February 2005, as you need to demonstrate that you have passed
Systems Pathology, which finishes at that time. Because of your daunting
exam schedules in February and April, most D06's avoided taking the test
before spring break (today). Only two students in the class sat for the
exam between mid-February and mid-April.

The class of 2006 students have the option of taking the test on
computer or at the written administration on July 12th, 2004. The
written test is being phased out, so your class will be expected to take
the test on computer no later than July 1st, 2005. (We want to move in
the direction of having the students sit for the exam earlier in the
year, closer to when you have taken the courses. In general, students do
better when the testing dates are closer to when you have participated
in the courses. The other curriculum goal is to have you "undistracted"
by the National Board Part I examination, and more fully participating
in the clinical portion of your education by the summer trimester in the
second year.)

---End Quote


So, there you have it. Looks like we'll have to scratch all the old trends and see what these next few pioneer years on the computer NDBE pan out. With the direction the school is taking, it seems promising to see a marked improvement over the last two years. However, as with any change, this one will take adjusting and fine tuning before we can actually see something concrete.

Best advice to you is, use this information to formulate your strategy. Also, use the time that you have wisely and recover/relax when you can and need to. In the end, a burnt out work-a-holic is worse off than the relaxing cruiser.

 

[claudiadent]

So does that mean that we will have less time to study for the boards undistracted by clinicals or classes?

 

[Quick Slvr]

ya, thats a good question I dont know what the schedule is like for tufts so i can't really figure out if we would have ample time to study or not after the semester ends, thanks for your help, Dr Pheta!

 

[drPheta]

You guys misread what Mark said. The new style boards and Tufts' board requirements make it so that your clinicals do not impede your run at the NBDE part 1. You HAVE TO take them by July 1st. It used to be that the boards were sat in on during mid July. The way it seems to be able to work for me is to keep up with your learned material during your breaks, especially summer.

Sounds like it will suck to use your break time to study for boards, but you only need to do that if you want to score big. On top of that, you will take the boards whenever you want to between February and July. You can make the time and take the time however you wish to.

Otherwise, you can just do what the previous students have done and stroll along with the dental decks and worry about passing only.

 

[Mo007]

drPheta

Any idea what Tufts average board scores are?

 

[groundhog]

I think the standardized test score stuff is overrated as a predictor of future success. Those test scores can create an environment in which selection committees can become lazy in their duties. I'll give you a prime example. A number of years ago I sat on an apprenticeship selection committee. I remember one fellow who made the interview cut, but did not have one of the top scores on the standardized test. However, in the interview it came out that that fellow had been willing to commute to another town to work night shifts at a mill as an electrician when construction work became slow for the members of the electrical construction union to which he belonged. Now some of those construction union dudes have strong egos and will not be caught dead taking a lower paying job when work slows down. The guy we interviewed had a family to support and was willing to put its wellfare above his ego. That told me a lot about the character of the guy. I pushed hard for him and he was accpeted. He turned out to be one of the best selections we ever made. On the other side of the coin we interviewed a gal who scored a new recored on the standardized test. Some on the committe went completely ga ga for her. I was not so impressed because of what I perceived to be some character flaws that came out during her interview. Well selections were a give and take process amongst committe members and she was accepted. She was smart as a whip, but turned out to be a disaster and had to be fired. She burnt the candles at both ends and could not perform at a competent level when she showed up for on the job training most mornings looking like a member of "The Munsters" cast.

 

[drPheta]

Groundhog, I totally agree with you. However, the truth of everyone's situation is that the competition is so vicious when it comes to specialty. Everyone essentially is a strong candidate with or without excellent board scores, so to give themselves an edge scoring big is extremely important. While, they may be a better, harder working student the adcoms from each program can only see and deduce so much from the applicants' responses to the application.

It's a totally crapmatic system (especially since it took me two cycles to get into dental school), but it's the way things work.

To those of you wondering about any dental school's board scores, take them all with a grain of salt. In the end, the scores you receive are a reflection of you, not the school. All that comes from your hard work, and you only get what you put in.

Mo007, I haven't heard about the D'06 scores yet, since all of them haven't taken the exam yet.