How accurate is the medical specialty aptitude test?

[DOctored]

I just took a medical specialty aptitude test ( university of Virginia school of medicine) website and I was just wondering what others thought of the test and their results

My favorite specialty is definitely at the top in the results...

Give it a try!!!

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[DrHitchcraft]

Not accurate because your evaluation of yourself is subject to bias. It is easy to decipher what the questions in these tests are 'really' asking. A lot of them are not very well disguised. With each question you answer, you have a rough idea of which specialties are being crossed off and which specialties are kept by the system. I think most people just trick themselves into thinking they are answering the question objectively. In reality, they are just picking the answers they know that will most likely lead to the specialties they are interested in, which can be influenced by things such as the perceived pros and cons they assume about each specialty.

If what I am stating above is true, then might as well not take the test at all. Right? You already know what you are interested in. Maybe it is for people who want reassurance? Or just for fun? That is just my take on it...

 

[DrEnderW]

The best medical specialty aptitude test is step 1.

If you get a high enough score, you always develop a passion for skin pathology.

 

[scummie]

The best medical specialty aptitude test is step 1.

If you get a high enough score, you always develop a passion for skin pathology.

Kind of sad to say, but failing anything is also another way to pigeonhole yourself into a specialty. Having red flags pushes you in a certain direction, usually primary care.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Pretty ****ty. It has given me radiology and pathology. 100% sure I want nothing to do with either.

 

[Postictal Raiden]

Pretty ******. It has given me radiology and pathology. 100% sure I want nothing to do with either.

I got diagnostic radiology as my top match and derm is among the top five. There's no way in hell I'm doing that. 3 of my specialties of interest are somewhere near the bottom third of the list.

 

[HooliganSnail]

I think that it is a fun tool, nothing more.

 

[DocEspana]

Worked well for me, but I always assumed it was a bit of "You can guide the test" and a bit of "most students have no clue how much autonomy or group work they want to do! And most of the test is questions about that sort of stuff".

Though with me I did it at the end of 2nd year and it has my speciality of choice #2. #1 was a field I never considered in a million years.... then I did an elective in it and absolutely fell in love. Those two were a huge chunk away from #3. Repeating it multiple times in 3td and 4th year I always got the same two specialities. And I eventually matched into one and still love the other.

 

[Dharma]

Interesting DocE! Not sure it's gonna work that way for me. Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, and Neurosurgery (hahaha, right!) for a very close top 3. Peds was in the top 5 at least. Let's see how it goes with rotations first!

 

[Superman DO]

The couple of times I took it during first and second year, peds was at the bottom of the list. Now, I'm going into peds lol.

 

[DocEspana]

Interesting DocE! Not sure it's gonna work that way for me. Radiology, Nuclear Medicine, and Neurosurgery (hahaha, right!) for a very close top 3. Peds was in the top 5 at least. Let's see how it goes with rotations first!

I think the two big things is is a gimmicky test that doesn't promise accuracy. But more centrally: unless there is something you definitely hate about the "practice" of medicine, most of us have no idea about our opinions on things like autonomy, office staff, liability and leadership. All doctors are leaders, we don't see infectious disease and emergency medicine ad leaders and IM and peds as followers. The test does. If you don't know how to appropriately assess the metrics, or just don't have opinion on them, then test won't have much accuracy.

 

[Dr Dazzle]

Kind of sad to say, but failing anything is also another way to pigeonhole yourself into a specialty. Having red flags pushes you in a certain direction, usually primary care.

Preclinical grades or 1 failure are pretty low on the list for residencies. Board scores count for a lot.

 

[CrunchyTeddy]

If you make a conscious effort to answer each question according to your preferences in everyday life--rather than by thinking about the personality traits associated with particular specialties--it can be a useful tool. I think it's good in highlighting tendencies within someone's personality, but of course, there are many other factors (beyond personality, like Step 1 score, haha) that influence the ultimate choice

 

[CopToEM]

I took this when I started medical school and saved a screenshot of it in Dropbox. I had forgotten about it entirely but while cleaning my Dropbox out noticed a folder called "Med Aptitude" and remembered what it was. I didn't look at the picture and went and took it again. 3 of the top 5 were still the same albeit slightly different order. Not too shabby!