BOTH Reasoning for not being allowed to retake USMLE/COMLEX

[deleted616051]

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I have tried to find the reasoning for students not allowed to retake the USMLE/COMLEX if they pass to try to improve their score, but I cannot find any. This is perplexing especially considering many are not good with standardized tests and have test anxiety to get the best score so you can do what type of medicine you desire. There's too much riding on one test--what if you get sick? The pursuit of perfection deteriorates people because it is impossible. And no practice test can prepare you for the environment of the real thing. So if you can do it on the SAT/ACT and all the other entrance exams: PCAT, MCAT, etc...why don't they allow it on the USMLE/COMLEX? I mean we are humans; we make errors, but then learn to overcome them next time. So if I do so-so on a situation in practice as a doctor, I will get more opportunities to turn it into a stellar performance on the same type of situation later. I won't be able to do that on the USMLE/COMLEX though.

 

[gobigorgohome22]

PCAT, MCAT, SAT, etc. = Entrance exams
USMLE/COMLEX = Licensing exam

Pass = qualified to be a practicing physician.

 

[deleted616051]

I was thinking USMLE/COMLEX as a entrance exam...for residency haha.

I guess the situation would get too complicated if they let you retake it.
Step 1 just seems to have like 80% of all the weight of the licensing exams. It's just so lopsided. But there's nothing I can do about it. I was just curious more than anything.
thanks

 

[ortnakas]

Because it was designed to be a pass/fall licensing exam.

Now, your score matters for residency applications, but because it was designed as a licensing exam where passing itself is sufficient, retakes aren't allowed.

 

[malin]

I have a few thoughts as to why, and it's mostly applicable to US MD students. After you take Step 1, you jump right into clerkships. Imagine that while in clerkships, you find out that you did not get the score you needed for your desired residency. With the option to retake, it seems tempting given the sheer weight that is placed on Step 1. But it's near-impossible to study for Step 1 while on clerkships. People might try and maybe suffer in Step 1 prep b/c they can't devote full attention to it due to their clerkships. And they might also suffer during their clerkships b/c they can't study for the shelf exams.

In other words, unless you devote a full-time commitment to Step 1 studying, it is going to be extremely difficult to improve on your first score. And most US MD students won't be able to do that because they have clerkships after taking Step 1.

Who knows, perhaps some students might even decide to defer the start of clerkships because they so badly want a certain score because it's so important for their career. But in the grand scheme of things, it's probably not ideal at all for them to defer clerkships for a year just to retake one test. Thus, I think the NBME folks did it for the benefit of students. If you could retake it, things would indeed get complicated as one poster above mentioned; people will take time off med school to retake it to get their score, or may even see their scores drop if they can't put that full time commitment in.

But certainly for foreign medical grads who don't have clerkships after taking Step 1, I can understand why they might want to only try and improve their score.