Curriculum with block exams, good or bad?

[Blain77]

Just curious how some of you guys that are attending a medical school that has a curriculum with block exams, meaning every course you are taking has an exam during the same week making up essentially an entire week of tests every 5-6 weeks, feel about the curriculum? Pros, cons?

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[meister]

Not sure I've heard of a school with an entire week of tests. I'm currently taking 4 courses and our exams are every 2 weeks with 2 on each day. Does this qualify as a block schedule?

 

[Forthegood]

From what i've heard, you have an alternating block schedule, the OP has a true block schedule.

The benefit of true blocks are you actually get a week off after block week before you have to start studying for the next round of exams.

The downside is everything else.

 

[FutureInternist]

Touro-NV has a block schedule. Approximately 5-6 weeks of instruction & then 1 week of exams (up to 10). No "free week"....infact we got new material until Friday for a test that was on Monday.
That said, I liked the way it was done. You can study a little everyday for the 1st 2 weeks (3-4 hrs) & then ramp it up a bit in the middle 2 with the final 2 weeks being really hardcore studying till midnight or so. Then you have a week of exams you go right back down to baseline after that.

 

[45408]

M1 year followed blocks pretty closely. We'd have ~4 weeks of material, and then 3-4 tests on Monday-Wednesday, and new material would start on Thursday or Friday. You didn't get a week OFF, but you could greatly cut back on your studying for 1-2 weekends and maybe a few weekdays too. I greatly preferred this set-up to the fall of M2, which was poorly blocked out. We ended up having exams about a week apart. For example, you'd have a path exam on 10/4 and a micro exam on 10/11. There's new path lectures every weekday in between, but of course you're not studying that, because you're about to take a micro exam. After the micro exam, you're now a week behind in path, so there's no time to cut loose and relax.

 

[turkeyjerky]

I definitely prefer block scheduling. If not, you get behind in other classes every time you have an exam. Also, I'd prefer to be totally stressed out for one week, rather that sorta stressed out the entire semester.

 

[LossForWords]

I've heard the rationale behind "hell week" is to prepare students for the Step I exam. Anyone who's taken Step I think this is actually true?

 

[Captain Fantastic]

We do a block system with 8 weeks of class followed by 1 week of exams, then a week off before starting it all up again. I like it this way.

Pros: It gives you time to enjoy yourself during medical school, since you know you won't have tests for a while you can go out with friends and have zero worries about not studying for the first part of the block. When exams are over you know you have a couple of months before you have to do that again!

Cons: We do something like 33 hours of exams during exam week (three 9 hour exams, one 5 hour exam, and then our standardized patient.) So exam week is stressful and exhausting.

 

[socmob]

Holy **** - THREE *NINE* hour exams?! That's longer than step 1! What kinds of exams are these?

 

[NREMTP]

We have block exams as well. We used to have 5 weeks of material that covered three classes, we are not systems based and then all of our tests are on Mondays. No week off, we start with new material on Tuesdays although most people don't make it to class on Tuesdays for obvious reasons. It is the only thing I know in med school so I don't mind it. If we didn't have it this way I would always feel like I was always taking an exam and wouldn't like that too well.

 

[Vonsmack]

I also go to block schedule school- 8 weeks of material, 1 week of tests (2.5 days), week and a half off. I *love* it- As stated its nice for the first four weeks of the block to not stress but simply keep up with the material and enjoy the process. The week and a half off is a Godsend (as long as you don't have to remediate)- gave me a chance to travel more often to see the SO.

The weeks going into exam week can be pretty intense trying to keep 8 wks of material straight. Thats usually 3-4 systems with all the accompanying path, micro, pharm, physical exam. Maybe it is a bit more like board prep, i dunno, our school's board scores are about average.

 

[kavorca]

We are on the block system, but we have all our exams in two days (Monday and Tuesday), not over the week. We also get no time off before or after the exams. First semester was 6 week blocks, and this semester is 4 week blocks.

 

[dilated]

I've heard the rationale behind "hell week" is to prepare students for the Step I exam. Anyone who's taken Step I think this is actually true?

**** no. That's what there are practice step 1 exams for.

 

[Captain Fantastic]

Holy **** - THREE *NINE* hour exams?! That's longer than step 1! What kinds of exams are these?

Two of them are problem-based exams. You know, where we are given a patient history and we come up with a DDx and a management plan, then we get the physical exam and refine our DDx and tweak our management, then we get labs/CXR/EKG, etc., and narrow our DDx still more, finally comes any special studies and we diagnose the patient, prescribe a treatment plan, and describe sequelae along with any long term psychosocial effects.

The other one is knowledge based: histology, anatomy, and multiple choice questions over clinical vignettes.

The exams are from 8-5 with no scheduled breaks.

 

[45408]

I've heard the rationale behind "hell week" is to prepare students for the Step I exam. Anyone who's taken Step I think this is actually true?

No, I don't see that being relevant. I do think that having to study just about around the clock is a good way to stay motivated. I got up early and stayed up late and got a ton of studying done.

 

[alphaholic06]

Two of them are problem-based exams. You know, where we are given a patient history and we come up with a DDx and a management plan, then we get the physical exam and refine our DDx and tweak our management, then we get labs/CXR/EKG, etc., and narrow our DDx still more, finally comes any special studies and we diagnose the patient, prescribe a treatment plan, and describe sequelae along with any long term psychosocial effects.

The other one is knowledge based: histology, anatomy, and multiple choice questions over clinical vignettes.

The exams are from 8-5 with no scheduled breaks.

Damn, no lunch?

 

[legobikes]

my school has ONE class at any one time that runs a quarter of the school year, and an exam every 2nd or 3rd week. so we usually get one or two weekends off between each exam. our classes are 8-12 every day, and our exams are usually 2-3 hours.

 

[bluesmd]

Not sure I've heard of a school with an entire week of tests. I'm currently taking 4 courses and our exams are every 2 weeks with 2 on each day. Does this qualify as a block schedule?

wow 4 tests every two weeks 😱 that's alot

my school has ONE class at any one time that runs a quarter of the school year, and an exam every 2nd or 3rd week. so we usually get one or two weekends off between each exam. our classes are 8-12 every day, and our exams are usually 2-3 hours.

do you mind sharing which school you go to

 

[NREMTP]

and why did this get moved to the pre-allo when we are talking allo testing schedules??

 

[silverlining1]

and why did this get moved to the pre-allo when we are talking allo testing schedules??

Perhaps because it is a concern for pre-allo students who are choosing medical schools; it is not an issue for allo students who are already in medical school.

There are certainly pros and cons to different scheduling/testing systems. My school has more of a "midterms and finals" schedule, meaning that we have like 2 tests every 3 weeks that each cover less material than a block exam would cover. I personally like this because it keeps me on my toes and gives me wiggle room (so that doing poorly on one test doesn't mean I fail the whole block).

My boyfriend, however, is on a system where they have like 8 weeks of class and then 3 days of exams at the end. They do have weekly quizzes for self-assessment, but they don't count towards your grade. He likes having more freedom to manage his time during the block, and he doesn't find the amount of studying required towards the end of the block overwhelming (then again, he stays really on top of his work).

 

[UofM527]

wow I can't even imagine going to some of your schools that have huge test blocks like that!! Perhaps it works for some people though...at my school we don't really have particular classes, rather we have themed blocks where we receive lectures from several of the traditional subjects together...these blocks take maybe 4 weeks, and then we have just one exam that incorporates information from all of the different topics/lectures...and then it just starts anew!! No traditional final/mid-term periods here

 

[DrSno]

The benefit of true blocks are you actually get a week off after block week before you have to start studying for the next round of exams.

You can do that at schools without block tests. From what I've heard there really are no positives to block tests. The school I'm going to attend has one test about every 4 weeks and many of the students take a week or two of studying off after a test.

 

[TheElement]

Hmm, i wonder if some people can shed light on a non block schedule? Like if you only have two classes but get tested every two weeks. Is that more constantly stressful?

 

[silverlining1]

Hmm, i wonder if some people can shed light on a non block schedule? Like if you only have two classes but get tested every two weeks. Is that more constantly stressful?

I just posted about that:

Perhaps because it is a concern for pre-allo students who are choosing medical schools; it is not an issue for allo students who are already in medical school.

There are certainly pros and cons to different scheduling/testing systems. My school has more of a "midterms and finals" schedule, meaning that we have like 2 tests every 3 weeks that each cover less material than a block exam would cover. I personally like this because it keeps me on my toes and gives me wiggle room (so that doing poorly on one test doesn't mean I fail the whole block).

My boyfriend, however, is on a system where they have like 8 weeks of class and then 3 days of exams at the end. They do have weekly quizzes for self-assessment, but they don't count towards your grade. He likes having more freedom to manage his time during the block, and he doesn't find the amount of studying required towards the end of the block overwhelming (then again, he stays really on top of his work).

I don't know if it's MORE stressful - of course I can't compare - but I personally like it and think it's fine. I really think it's a preference thing and not a "one is better than the other" thing.

 

[RySerr21]

What about students that go to schools with tests every week?? Obvious con i'm sure is that you feel like you are always studying b/c you always have a test...but im guessing a pro is that it covers far less material. Do you all have a cumulative final at the end that covers everything youve been covering for each week, or is it once you take that test you move on??

 

[travelbug73]

One school that I interviewed at has the block schedule. They are not systems based. They cover material for 4 weeks or so, followed by 1 week of tests. The tests are 2 hours long and are computer based. You can schedule your tests any time between Mon and Fri. If you finish all your tests on Monday, you have the remainder of the week off. I was told that most students spread out their tests over at least 4 days.

 

[peppy]

What about students that go to schools with tests every week?? Obvious con i'm sure is that you feel like you are always studying b/c you always have a test...but im guessing a pro is that it covers far less material. Do you all have a cumulative final at the end that covers everything youve been covering for each week, or is it once you take that test you move on??

This is how my school was - test every Monday morning. I liked it that way. I found it less overwhelming to have smaller volumes of material more frequently (even though some classes still had comprehensive final exams).

 

[RySerr21]

This is how my school was - test every Monday morning. I liked it that way. I found it less overwhelming to have smaller volumes of material more frequently (even though some classes still had comprehensive final exams).

I think I would liike it that way too...but did you find that you never had a weekend? The students at UCI said that you can plan accordingly and still have free time on the weekends....is this true?

 

[peppy]

I think a lot of people in my class turned Monday nights into their weekend. 🙂
Sundays were always busy for me due to last minute studying, but who does party on Sundays anyway? If I really wanted to do something on Friday night or Saturday night, I'd just try to make sure I did a bit of extra studying ahead of time during the week. It was do-able. Besides, the first two years go by pretty fast. 🙂

 

[potato head]

Also, I'd prefer to be totally stressed out for one week, rather that sorta stressed out the entire semester.

i might be the opposite. i think i'd prefer establishing a routine throughout the semester, rather than switching gears from week to week.

 

[Jolie South]

i might be the opposite. i think i'd prefer establishing a routine throughout the semester, rather than switching gears from week to week.

I personally agree with this. I can't imagine tests every week. I'd much rather have one really stressful week every six weeks than never be free.