USMLE passing rate by school

[turkaglew]

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Anyone know where I can find this?

 

[lrkoehle]

Anyone know where I can find this?

I don't think this information gets published, but why would you want it anyways? Passing the USMLE is an individual thing and has nothing to do with the school. All accredited medical schools will provide you the necessary information to pass it. Now the real question is what will you do with that information? If you study extra hard, you'll pass it.

 

[7starmantis]

I don't think this information gets published, but why would you want it anyways? Passing the USMLE is an individual thing and has nothing to do with the school. All accredited medical schools will provide you the necessary information to pass it. Now the real question is what will you do with that information? If you study extra hard, you'll pass it.

Can't agree, but most schools give an average range on their websites. I'm sure there is a graph out there somewhere. It is however very individual and probably not worth a huge part of your decisions for which school to attend aside from how well the school prepares you for the USMLE.

 

[brooklynblunder]

I think most US MD have 90%+ pass rate?

 

[lord_jeebus]

If you go to an accredited US allopathic medical school and fail any of the USMLE steps, it's not your school's fault.

 

[MilkmanAl]

You'll also run into weird situations like UAMS where the pass rate is quite a lot higher than the national average, but the average score probably isn't what you want it to be. I agree that this information is virtually useless for you to have as a pre-med, even if such a list was published.

If you go to an accredited US allopathic medical school and fail any of the USMLE steps, it's not your school's fault.

👍

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

For as useless as the usual discussion about USMLE averages by school is, a discussion about USMLE pass rates is 100x more useless.

As stated before, if you are from a US allopathic school and fail the boards, that is on you and not your school. Every medical school gives you more than adequate training to pass. Passing is a bare bare bare minimum.

 

[Law2Doc]

Can't agree, but most schools give an average range on their websites....

Um no you are wrong and no they don't. There's a tacit agreement amongst med schools not to publish board scores because of concern it would force med schools to "teach to the boards" and would limit some of the more experimental forms of education, such as PBL from being tried, out of fear it would result in lower scores. As a result, the schools that are doing what they are supposed to do don't publish scores, and you will not find an accurate list anywhere (although lots of horribly inaccurate lists exist, including ones compiled on this board annually, which reflect a LOT of propoganda and false reporting). Most US med schools see the non-publication of lists as a license to exaggerate about their list. If you interviewed at most US med schools, you probably would be told by most of them that they have above the US allo med school average. Can't be, but that's what all schools will say. Part of the reason is that they are free to do the calculation however they want, including excluding folks who failed and retook.

I would also suggest that the schools don't have as big a role in board scores as they would like to think. All schools cover the same basic science material for the most part, to qualify for accreditation. Many students don't even attend lectures and study on their own. And for boards EVERYONE uses the same short list of board review materials, FA, and qbank/world question banks. Since everyone is studying from the same materials and a huge percentage are studying on their own during the first two years of coursework, it's kind of silly to assert that somehow the school itself is adding to this -- you will get the same score anywhere if you put in the same effort. As such, the only thing a school can do to enhance their board scores is (1) admit people who are going to score high in the first place, and (2) give them adequate time off to study for this thing. So attending a school that has a longer summer vacation after first year probably gets you a higher score than attending someplace that "claims" they have a higher score.

 

[Old Grunt]

Um no you are wrong and no they don't. There's a tacit agreement amongst med schools not to publish board scores because of concern it would force med schools to "teach to the boards" and would limit some of the more experimental forms of education, such as PBL from being tried, out of fear it would result in lower scores. As a result, the schools that are doing what they are supposed to do don't publish scores, and you will not find an accurate list anywhere (although lots of horribly inaccurate lists exist, including ones compiled on this board annually, which reflect a LOT of propoganda and false reporting). Most US med schools see the non-publication of lists as a license to exaggerate about their list. If you interviewed at most US med schools, you probably would be told by most of them that they have above the US allo med school average. Can't be, but that's what all schools will say. Part of the reason is that they are free to do the calculation however they want, including excluding folks who failed and retook.

I would also suggest that the schools don't have as big a role in board scores as they would like to think. All schools cover the same basic science material for the most part, to qualify for accreditation. Many students don't even attend lectures and study on their own. And for boards EVERYONE uses the same short list of board review materials, FA, and qbank/world question banks. Since everyone is studying from the same materials and a huge percentage are studying on their own during the first two years of coursework, it's kind of silly to assert that somehow the school itself is adding to this -- you will get the same score anywhere if you put in the same effort. As such, the only thing a school can do to enhance their board scores is (1) admit people who are going to score high in the first place, and (2) give them adequate time off to study for this thing. So attending a school that has a longer summer vacation after first year probably gets you a higher score than attending someplace that "claims" they have a higher score.

Great post.

 

[Narmerguy]

Um no you are wrong and no they don't. There's a tacit agreement amongst med schools not to publish board scores because of concern it would force med schools to "teach to the boards" and would limit some of the more experimental forms of education, such as PBL from being tried, out of fear it would result in lower scores. As a result, the schools that are doing what they are supposed to do don't publish scores, and you will not find an accurate list anywhere (although lots of horribly inaccurate lists exist, including ones compiled on this board annually, which reflect a LOT of propoganda and false reporting). Most US med schools see the non-publication of lists as a license to exaggerate about their list. If you interviewed at most US med schools, you probably would be told by most of them that they have above the US allo med school average. Can't be, but that's what all schools will say. Part of the reason is that they are free to do the calculation however they want, including excluding folks who failed and retook.

I would also suggest that the schools don't have as big a role in board scores as they would like to think. All schools cover the same basic science material for the most part, to qualify for accreditation. Many students don't even attend lectures and study on their own. And for boards EVERYONE uses the same short list of board review materials, FA, and qbank/world question banks. Since everyone is studying from the same materials and a huge percentage are studying on their own during the first two years of coursework, it's kind of silly to assert that somehow the school itself is adding to this -- you will get the same score anywhere if you put in the same effort. As such, the only thing a school can do to enhance their board scores is (1) admit people who are going to score high in the first place, and (2) give them adequate time off to study for this thing. So attending a school that has a longer summer vacation after first year probably gets you a higher score than attending someplace that "claims" they have a higher score.

I don't know whether or not he was wrong but he was referring to pass rates not the board scores themselves. The two have very different uses.