Scoring system

[rox]

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What's the rationale behind the three-digit score? Is it like if you miss 100 questions out of 350 you will score 250?

 

[lankysudanese]

What's the rationale behind the three-digit score? Is it like if you miss 100 questions out of 350 you will score 250?

are you serious about your theory, or do you just like starting new threads? I wish that all a 250 required was getting 71% of the questions correct😀.

 

[rox]

I appreciate any helpful input.

 

[lankysudanese]

I appreciate any helpful input.

You're right, my post wasn't particularly helpful. The 3-digit scoring system is based on the following principles.

1. The passing score is 185
2. Most people score between 140 and 260 (according to score report cards in 2007)
3. the standard error of the mean (SEM) for any individual's score is 6 points
4. nobody knows what the maximum score is (some postulate that it is 299 or 300)

But as far as how each test taker's score is generated - nobody knows what formula/correlation is used (but it is well-known that % correct is not directly proportional to 3-digit score b/c of the inclusion of 'experimental questions' which are do not affect the grading).

Recent trends for test takers from US and Canadian schools:
mean is 218 and standard deviation is 23. NOTE: that does NOT necessarily mean that the scores follow a normal distribution - for e.g. only 1.49% (215/14356) of applicants in the 2007 match scored above 260 which, if the scores actually followed a normal distribution, would be the top 3.4% (>96.6th percentile). But since most people who failed (score <185) probably did not apply for the match, then one can extrapolate that scoring above 260 probably puts you at a higher percentile than the top 1.49% of Step 1 test takers. This can generalized across the board, to other score categories.

I am not aware of the average and standard deviation for foreign medical graduates.

Hope this helps.

 

[Law2Doc]

But since most people who failed (score <185) probably did not apply for the match, then one can extrapolate that scoring above 260 probably puts you at a higher percentile than the top 1.49% of Step 1 test takers. This can generalized across the board, to other score categories.

I would think it safe to say that none of the people who failed applied for the match until they passed. Most schools won't let you progress to rotations without passing the Step, and I kind of doubt any med school is going to let you apply for residencies, nor any residency program waste an interview slot on you until you pass. So yes, you probably need to goose that 260 into a higher percentile.

 

[njbmd]

To the OP:

The three digit score is a normalization. For example, they set a score of 180-something as the minimum pass (actual number depends on the year that you take USMLE) and that score is given a two-digit score of 75. The scores are normalized around that score with the extremes having the greatest variation.

Since scores vary from year to year, it's very difficult to know how many questions you can miss for what score (three digit or two digit). The only thing that is consistant with USMLE Step I is that some of the questions (about 50) don't count. You don't know which ones those are (can guess sometimes ) but do your best and try to answer each question correctly as with any test.

 

[rox]

Thanks for your input. It seems to be such a complicated issue.

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

Thanks for your input. It seems to be such a complicated issue.

It is. Thus why we all have our different theories and prejudices about the test. For example, I've heard people make claims about how it's better to get a "hard" set of questions as your curve is more favorable then getting an "easy" set where you can be excessively "docked" points for missing easy questions through stupid mistakes. Without evidence and unprovable, but I've heard it multiple times.