Questions about medical school: class ranks, exams, pass/fail, etc...

[informme]

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Hi, I had several questions about medical school (It's about time I get educated)

Usually how large is the typical medical school class size (like class of 2014)?
Do all the the medical students take the same classes together?
What is usually the M/F composition of the student body?
Is there a GPA system?
Do residencies care if you came from a Pass/Fail institution?
Is there class rank?
Do residencies care about your class rank and how much (compared to where you graduated from)?
Are there standardized tests you have to complete while in Med school?
What exactly are board exams and how difficult are they??
Is the board exam pass/fail, or do you actually receive a score that residencies care about??

 

[Mattabet]

Well, if three other neophytes see this, I suppose that saves us three more 'askings' of these same questions down the line. More satisfactory responses can be found by searching SDN, or in the MSAR (Medical School Admissions Requirements, a book, google it) in many cases...

Usually how large is the typical medical school class size (like class of 2014)?

See the MSAR. It varies from less than 50 to more than 200.

Do all the the medical students take the same classes together?

I'm not sure I understand the question. Lecture-wise you'll mostly be with students in the same year as you; when you need to be in smaller groups, they break you into smaller groups somehow.

What is usually the M/F composition of the student body?

Typically close to 50/50; see the MSAR for each school.

Is there a GPA system?

Usually not.

Do residencies care if you came from a Pass/Fail institution?

Probably not. The first two year's grades (where P/F are typically given) aren't generally a huge factor, or so I've heard.

Is there class rank?

Sometimes. Different schools have different policies.

Do residencies care about your class rank and how much (compared to where you graduated from)?

I'm sure they care about lots of things. There are more substansitive discussions and studies on factors that affect residency match. The weight of any given factor depends somewhat on the program and specialty. Generally, you want to do well on Step I and your third year evaluations - strong performances there help across the board.

Are there standardized tests you have to complete while in Med school?

You answer this with your next questions 🙂

What exactly are board exams and how difficult are they??

To become licensed, you need to pass a three step (Steps I, II, & III) examination. After that, you can take a board test to become 'board certified' in a specialty. Step I is considered to be pretty difficult; definitely much harder than the MCAT.

Is the board exam pass/fail, or do you actually receive a score that residencies care about??

You receive a score, competitive residencies will care about it (for Step I, anyway). You can time Step II for after you're accepted (or before), and Step III is taken after your internship year.

 

[Law2Doc]

Hi, I had several questions about medical school (It's about time I get educated)

Usually how large is the typical medical school class size (like class of 2014)?
Do all the the medical students take the same classes together?
What is usually the M/F composition of the student body?
Is there a GPA system?
Do residencies care if you came from a Pass/Fail institution?
Is there class rank?
Do residencies care about your class rank and how much (compared to where you graduated from)?
Are there standardized tests you have to complete while in Med school?
What exactly are board exams and how difficult are they??
Is the board exam pass/fail, or do you actually receive a score that residencies care about??

Agree with the prior poster for the most part. Class sizes are about 150 people at the average school, but as the prior poster mentions, there is a range. Many schools are composed of slightly more women than men these days (55-60% women is common). You will generally have lectures together as a large group your first two years (although many people will stop attending lecture at some point in the year), with smaller groups for things like labs and PBL. 3rd and 4th year rotations you will probably be divided up into groups of 2-3 med students on a given team (usually not the same other 1-2 students will be with you more than one rotation). So after second year you may end up not seeing many of your classmates until graduation. Most schools are P/F (with high pass, low pass and honors added in at some places) but they frequently still keep a class rank, from which they determine AOA and which language your deans letter will contain. Based on responses by program directors, your first two years grades/rank aren't given much weight in residency determination -- you will mostly be judged based on your Step 1 score and 3rd and 4th year evaluations. Standardized exams include the shelf exams after each rotation during 3rd year, and Steps 1-2 of the boards. The board exam is technically P/F, but you are given a numeric score which residency programs use to evaluate you against other applicants. You can find the publication which lists the average board scores for each residency linked to various threads on SDN. If you have crummy step 1 scores, you can generally write off the more competitive residencies.