Exams in medical schools.

[Kareem1112]

I am an Egyptian medical student and I have been wondering about examinations in U.S. medical schools.. do you have no exams other than USMLE?
If you have other exams, what are they for?
I’d appreciate a glimpse into the whole system.

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[trs88]

Do you mean just for licensing purposes in order to practice medicine or with the actual medical school itself where the students are tested over their courses?

 

[The Knife & Gun Club]

In the US, yes we have exams.

It varies by school, but most places have exams around 1/month. They are useful for ranking purposes within your class and failures means you need to remediate (retake) the class. Some places are pass/fail and others give numerical grades. These grades are also reported on residency applications. The grades are not given much weight when applying for residency, but class rank is of substantial importance.

Also during the clinical years, we have standardized “Shelf” exams written by the NBME at the end of each rotation. These exams affect the grade we receive for the rotation (the amount of weight varies by school). Rotation grades usually carry significant weight in the residency application process as well.

 

[mehc012]

I am an Egyptian medical student and I have been wondering about examinations in U.S. medical schools.. do you have no exams else than USMLE?
If you have other exams, why are they for?
I’d appreciate a glimpse into the whole system.

Completely varies by school.
Some schools have NBME style exams, meaning exams that imitate USMLE with questions provided by the same entity.
Others have professor written exams, which can mean they include minutiae that you wouldn't find on Step, or it could mean they cover less.
Most places these days have primarily multiple-choice exams.
Others have all short response, no multiple choice.
Some places cover one organ system at a time, others have multiple overlapping classes.
Some places have exams every few weeks, others no more than every few months.
There is at least one USMD school that has NO exams.
Some have no grades, so the exams matter less anyways. Others have grades, class ranks, and/or even possibly a curve.

It varies widely, and it's a bit difficult to boil all of the possibilities down into one description of 'how US MD schools operate'.

 

[Kareem1112]

Oh, I think I got the picture. Thank you guys. But.. if schools mostly DO have exams and grading systems, then why is the USMLE system? judging by expenses, a big part of it is business I think?
Perhaps to have a standard criteria which a practicing MD should meet too.

 

[mehc012]

Oh, I think I got the picture. Thank you guys. But.. if schools mostly DO have exams and grading systems, then why is the USMLE system? judging by expenses, a big part of it is business I think?
Perhaps to have a standard criteria which a practicing MD should meet too.

Right on both counts!

 

[Mad Jack]

Oh, I think I got the picture. Thank you guys. But.. if schools mostly DO have exams and grading systems, then why is the USMLE system? judging by expenses, a big part of it is business I think?
Perhaps to have a standard criteria which a practicing MD should meet too.

Quality control and to ensure that you have retained the material long-term. Different schools have different curriculums and standards, thus a test that objectively measures each student for minimum competency is required. Furthermore, tests of cumulative knowledge ensure that cram and dump learning doesn't get one through school and into conical practice without a solid knowledge base.

Personally I'm quite grateful for the standardized exams I was forced to take, as they pushed me to fully synthesize more of medicine than I ever thought possible. They suck at the time but they provide a fountain for the rest of your career.

 

[Throwaway5129]

Completely varies by school.
Some schools have NBME style exams, meaning exams that imitate USMLE with questions provided by the same entity.
Others have professor written exams, which can mean they include minutiae that you wouldn't find on Step, or it could mean they cover less.
Most places these days have primarily multiple-choice exams.
Others have all short response, no multiple choice.
Some places cover one organ system at a time, others have multiple overlapping classes.
Some places have exams every few weeks, others no more than every few months.
There is at least one USMD school that has NO exams.
Some have no grades, so the exams matter less anyways. Others have grades, class ranks, and/or even possibly a curve.

It varies widely, and it's a bit difficult to boil all of the possibilities down into one description of 'how US MD schools operate'.

How can we find out which schools use NBME exams only as their exams?

 

[Goro]

How can we find out which schools use NBME exams only as their exams?

Ask in the school specific threads

 

[libertyyne]

How can we find out which schools use NBME exams only as their exams?

there is a school out there that just uses CBSE for their their exam every quarter. Many schools have gone the NBME route there are atleast 50-100 schools that administer them based on my last report.

 

[libertyyne]

Oh, I think I got the picture. Thank you guys. But.. if schools mostly DO have exams and grading systems, then why is the USMLE system? judging by expenses, a big part of it is business I think?
Perhaps to have a standard criteria which a practicing MD should meet too.

Theoretically it is to have a baseline criteria that all students should meet. However it also serves as an standardized way to compare applicants for residency placement , since a 90 at one school may mean something very different compared to a 90 at another school and some schools dont even have grades.