Grades in the First Year of Medical School

[Mixmaster]

Well we are almost done with a 2nd quarter of Med School and I am kinda worried about my rank and my scores. How important is rank. I seem to be getting average scores (although I am improving overall). What is a good average to be at?

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[Homunculus]

Originally posted by Mixmaster
Well we are almost done with a 2nd quarter of Med School and I am kinda worried about my rank and my scores. How important is rank. I seem to be getting average scores (although I am improving overall). What is a good average to be at?

honestly class rank plays second fiddle to LOR's, board scores, and audition rotations. i would say taht as long as you are scoring above the mean on your tests, you're fine. if you're scratching your way along barely passing it will probably be a red flag to program directors. anything average or above they'll just view as normal (unless you're in the top 5-10% or something) and look at the rest of your application to get an idea of who/what you are about.

 

[DireWolf]

Or you could be in our class and get a 89% and still be below the mean.

 

[DrMom]

Originally posted by DireWolf
Or you could be in our class and get a 89% and still be below the mean.

Frustrating sometimes, isn't it?

 

[sophiejane]

so are you guys at OSU-COM all geniuses or is your school easy?

 

[DrMom]

Originally posted by sophiejane
so are you guys at OSU-COM all geniuses or is your school easy?

Apparently we're the highest averaging class to come through here...from what some professors have said. Makes it really tough to keep a high class rank. You can have a really good GPA and still be in the bottom half.

 

[DireWolf]

I think the fact that the average on a Goljan test in the past has always been around 82, and we just had a mean of 90 on his last test answers that question.

 

[sophiejane]

hmmmph. geniuses.

 

[DrMom]

Originally posted by sophiejane
hmmmph. geniuses.

I wish I were part of that group

 

[Mixmaster]

or maybe the test got easier? (not that you guys are not smart)

 

[DireWolf]

Originally posted by Mixmaster
or maybe the test got easier? (not that you guys are not smart)

That would mean that all the tests at this school got easier- similar story in all classes on all tests. I don't think so.

 

[DrMom]

Originally posted by Mixmaster
or maybe the test got easier? (not that you guys are not smart)

I thought that test was a little easier, but we do have a high-achieving class overall. Fortunately, we tend to be a pretty friendly & agreeable group of gunners.

 

[DireWolf]

Originally posted by DrMom
I thought that test was a little easier, but we do have a high-achieving class overall. Fortunately, we tend to be a pretty friendly & agreeable group of gunners.

Except for DrMom

 

[DrMom]

Originally posted by DireWolf
Except for DrMom

Yep, I'm the meanie, disagreeable one of the group

 

[DireWolf]

Enough thread-jacking - to answer the original question, just aim for whatever you feel comfortable with. If you need to get a 4.0 to make you happy, then go for it. If not, try to stay around the mean, as hard as that can be sometimes. There's a big list of things that are more important than preclinical grades. You're only going to stand out if you're at the top or at the bottom.

 

[Doctor Peloncito]

Originally posted by DireWolf
I think the fact that the average on a Goljan test in the past has always been around 82, and we just had a mean of 90 on his last test answers that question.

Gunners

 

[DrSmiles]

Well watch out for UHS Wannabe. I got an 88% on the final in Mind, Spirit, and Behavior and this gave me a B-. And just to show you how close the mean was, an 90% was a B+. I think that is total crap. A 90% should always be an A no matter what. The mean on exams seem to get really tight in your second year, maybe because some people who don't survive the 1st year are not there the following year to spread out the mean a little more. I don't know, but I just about have a heart attack when it comes time to review our tests. I can really see why just having a pass/fail system would alleviate the stress of performance.

 

[bansheeDO]

There is a lot of gamesmanship involved with grades. And to be honest, choosing the right school is part of playing the game. Certains schools do benefit students when it comes to grades. We all saw that in undergrad with some colleges that were notorious for grade inflation.

The same applies to medical school. Whether you are talking about MD or DO schools, this principle applies. I know someone at one particular medical school that works extremely hard and is barely passing because their school is unbelievably challenging. And I know of other medical schools that tend to be laid back. Professors at those schools don't intend to kill students and most of the class usually ends up doing pretty well.

Usually the schools that are oriented to teaching to the board exams are places where students tend to get high grades. The difficult schools are the ones that expect you to learn everything regardless if it will be seen on the boards. I'm hoping to attend a school that will teach to the boards and not burden me with superfluous material. I think Osteopathic schools in general are pretty good about not surmounting students with information they won't need to succeed on the boards.

Some of us may not have a choice and will have to attend whichever school we get accepted to. But those of us with a choice should not be suprised by the intensity of the school. That is information you can gather ahead of time with a little effort and ingenuity. Sometimes, I feel that the students who are shocked by their school's grading didn't do their homework ahead of time. Like I said, it's part of playing the game.

 

[stomper627]

As you all have been describing it makes sense that boards, LOR, Rotations, and Politics (fits in to LOR and who you know) matters much more than any grade or GPA. Why? You all have been answering this question yourselves. Because grades only reflect how you do within your own class. Boards are a reflection of where you stand in the nation.
But the big thing is rotations. They are like auditions. If you look great on paper (high boards, high class rank)....but do not get along with those in the programs already, you will be passed up. Programs look for people they want to work with. They will teach you want they want you to know.
stomper

 

[luckystar]

I like to think of class exams as a rough indicator of how well my studying is going. When the time for boards rolls around, I'd like to be reviewing everything as opposed to learning it for the first time.

 

[stomper627]

Class exams are not representative of the COMpLEX.

 

[Doctor Peloncito]

Originally posted by DrSmiles
Well watch out for UHS Wannabe. I got an 88% on the final in Mind, Spirit, and Behavior and this gave me a B-. And just to show you how close the mean was, an 90% was a B+. I think that is total crap. A 90% should always be an A no matter what. The mean on exams seem to get really tight in your second year, maybe because some people who don't survive the 1st year are not there the following year to spread out the mean a little more. I don't know, but I just about have a heart attack when it comes time to review our tests. I can really see why just having a pass/fail system would alleviate the stress of performance.

I really don't care about my grades too much. As long as I pass I'm happy. What I really think is important is learning what I need to learn to pass the boards do well in my clerkships and eventually be a good doctor. If that means that miss a question about the most obscure side effects of a drug and get a C on an exam, then so be it. This is the problem when med schools are graded and not pass/fail. People lose sight of what the important thing is here - understanding the whole picture.

Just to set the record straight, I've been hovering just above the average since SBL.

 

[luckystar]

Originally posted by stomper627
Class exams are not representative of the COMpLEX.

That's not quite what I meant. I want to be able, when I start reviewing for the boards, to be familiar with most of the material, instead of learning everything for the first time. And if I learned it well for class, it should reflect in my exam grades.

 

[stomper627]

Yes...I know what you meant....and I know people at the top of classes who did not do well on the boards....either barely passing or failing all together. I would focus my studying for classes on board material...not the minutia that is constantly tested on.

 

[luckystar]

Originally posted by stomper627
Yes...I know what you meant....and I know people at the top of classes who did not do well on the boards....either barely passing or failing all together. I would focus my studying for classes on board material...not the minutia that is constantly tested on.

I am using board material. It just so happens that our tests have, for the most part, asked about what I studied for (i.e. stuff that's emphasized in review books).

 

[sophiejane]

At most schools there is a pretty strong correlation between your grades in basic sciences and your board scores. I guess it depends on the school but at our school they are constantly refining the curriculum to reflect the board material--for which I am thankful. Not that it's not good to "know it all"...it just isn't necessary in order to be a good physician, IMHO.

 

[raptor5]

I guess it depends on the school but at our school they are constantly refining the curriculum to reflect the board material

Does anyone know if they do this at PCOM?

I would focus my studying for classes on board material...not the minutia that is constantly tested on.

If that means that miss a question about the most obscure side effects of a drug and get a C on an exam, then so be it

Is this advisable. I am starting at PCOM in August and was wondering that this may be an option to attack studying. I am not too worried about how my grades are during my preclinical years are just as long as I can:
A. PASS
B. Score well on the COMLEX and
C. Learn the important info for clerkships and my future as a physician. I am not a minutia kinda guy for the most part.

Thanks
Raptor5

 

[raptor5]

bump