Internal Rankings within Schools - Please explain!

[futureczar]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Ok so I thought I had a pretty good idea of different types of grading systems... until my interview a few days ago. I was under the impression that there are two types of P/F schools, those that have an internal ranking system, and those that do not.

Now what is internal ranking? This was my thinking: Even though you attend a P/F school, your grades are still recorded in the computer and the class is ranked similar to high school/undergrad. Thus when you apply for residencies your application will state your rank or your relative position in the class (top 25%, bottom 25%). THUS, even though you may have passed all of your classes, you may still be viewed as a subpar applicant compared to someone who has passed their classes with all As.

So what does lack of internal ranking mean? In my mind it means that residency applications will in no way indicate your position within the class. So a person who barely passed every test will be equal to someone who has gotten a 100 on every test in the eyes of the residency program.

However this brings up the issue of 3rd/4th year, where most (if not all?) schools have a H/HP/P/F grading system. How does internal ranking play into a system where the grading is different between 1/2 and 3/4 years?

Im asking because i interviewed at a school the other day where the students told us that there is no internal ranking for the first two years, but there is a rank that is assigned for the last two years. Is this the same for all schools that claim to have no internal ranking? Or do some schools not have any ranking at all?

Sorry if this is confusing, im just trying to get these classifications straight. It seems like going to a school that has no internal ranking is the best possible scenario since there seems to be very little competition between the students.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Ok so I thought I had a pretty good idea of different types of grading systems... until my interview a few days ago. I was under the impression that there are two types of P/F schools, those that have an internal ranking system, and those that do not.

Now what is internal ranking? This was my thinking: Even though you attend a P/F school, your grades are still recorded in the computer and the class is ranked similar to high school/undergrad. Thus when you apply for residencies your application will state your rank or your relative position in the class (top 25%, bottom 25%). THUS, even though you may have passed all of your classes, you may still be viewed as a subpar applicant compared to someone who has passed their classes with all As.

So what does lack of internal ranking mean? In my mind it means that residency applications will in no way indicate your position within the class. So a person who barely passed every test will be equal to someone who has gotten a 100 on every test in the eyes of the residency program.

Not true. For one, pre-clinicals are of minor importance if you do well. Many schools still have grades +/- rankings or at the very least a way of assessing one's location within the class (for example my school has grades in clinicals and send along a breakdown of the number of students getting H/HP/P/F in each rotation). Clinicals are far more important. Also, your USMLE scores will also help differentiate students.

However this brings up the issue of 3rd/4th year, where most (if not all?) schools have a H/HP/P/F grading system. How does internal ranking play into a system where the grading is different between 1/2 and 3/4 years?

Yale and Stanford, I believe, don't have clinical grades. Internal rankings and grades are typically reinstated elsewhere, they just don't include preclinicals.

Im asking because i interviewed at a school the other day where the students told us that there is no internal ranking for the first two years, but there is a rank that is assigned for the last two years. Is this the same for all schools that claim to have no internal ranking? Or do some schools not have any ranking at all?

Most schools who say they are p/f unranked are referring to the pre-clinicals, but yes there are some schools that don't rank. Most have some way of giving residencies a sense of the approximate rank (quartiles) a student has within clinical grades at the very least.

Sorry if this is confusing, im just trying to get these classifications straight. It seems like going to a school that has no internal ranking is the best possible scenario since there seems to be very little competition between the students.

See above. I definitely support having a de-emphasized grading structure. I also support clinical grades that are not assigned on a curve.