<begin rant>
I just finished this exam (LA center). Como se dice PISSED OFF en espanol (enojado?)? What a joke this exam is! First of all- the cases are pretty contrived and the "physical exam" will basically be limited to CV, pulm, abd... oh yeah, bust out a cranial nerve exam if you're feeling slick. Nevertheless, I felt like I just got a full fisted rectal! There's MAJOR variation between the SPs: some completely give it up with the first "open ended question" while others were waiting for some kind of key-word before they give up the goods ('cuz patients do that all the time... yeah right). Of all the encounters, I almost always walked out of there thinking there's something else I could have done, or worse- an SP that's got nothing wrong with him and you're wondering "what the F%$ is this M^$#F%$^er here for?!" LAME! In retrospect, they could definitely set the scenario better- hey, if you want to screen my "preventative medicine" H&P, then just say so and don't let me waste 10 minutes trying to figure out what the hell I'm supposed to be doing! Maybe I should be stressed about passing? Maybe so, hell- I dunno, but I have seen some pretty crappy students (ie: worse than me) pass this with no worries. The bar must be pretty low! <end rant>
Seriously, there's just no way this exam can continue to be viable. FMGs have been doing it forever because it's geared towards screening cultural awareness much more than clinical acumen. When they tried to retool the exam to fit students who are already from accredited US institutions, they opened up pandora's box. If they D/C the exam next year (as they should), sign me up for a class action lawsuit to get my money back!!
