What do you guys think of having only midterms and finals?

[MediCynical]

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Come August I'll be starting at a medical school with only midterms and finals. To be honest it makes me pretty nervous due to the amount of information I'll be responsible for, but at the same time I feel it could be beneficial for boards by forcing students to compound information into long-term memory rather than just stuffing it in test after test.

Thoughts? It would be nice to hear from some people in programs with similar curriculums.

Should I prepare my angus?

 

[link2swim06]

When you mean midterm(s)... do you mean you only have 2 tests per class for the entire semester? If so that kinda sucks....

 

[UAAWolf]

Come August I'll be starting at a medical school with only midterms and finals. To be honest it makes me pretty nervous due to the amount of information I'll be responsible for, but at the same time I feel it could be beneficial for boards by forcing students to compound information into long-term memory rather than just stuffing it in test after test.

Thoughts?

Should I prepare my angus?

Um dude at my school the final counted for 100% of the grade for every class in first year.

If you failed the 50 question final you had to retake the whole class again.

Sound good? lol

 

[UAAWolf]

Should I prepare my angus?

Also, strong miscer. U aware?

 

[MediCynical]

When you mean midterm(s)... do you mean you only have 2 tests per class for the entire semester? If so that kinda sucks....

yep, 2 tests per class...

Um dude at my school the final counted for 100% of the grade for every class in first year.

If you failed the 50 question final you had to retake the whole class again.

Sound good? lol

wow, that's intense

Also, strong miscer. U aware?

aware. I know who you are lulz. You PM'd me some info @ bb.com about online neuro resources

EDIT: just went to rep you but on spread, crap

 

[islandCrazy]

I have it and I have grown to love it as it allows me to pace my reading. I am a horrible at memorizing topics so it takes me a long time. Also there have been topics that seem to take me a longer time to understand and other topics that I go really quickly on.
So you should know that this method does have it benefits.

100% final for the courses my school deems less important we have 100% finals. Those I hate with a passion. The first time I had this I slacked completely in that class and I was very stressed out for the final.

 

[Law2Doc]

Um dude at my school the final counted for 100% of the grade for every class in first year...
Sound good? lol

this is pretty common for law schools -- you have a single test deciding your grade for an entire year course ( not by semester). You adapt.

 

[surftheiop]

Didn't you all take AP classes in HS? That was 1 test to decide if you pass the class

 

[smltwnDr]

Come August I'll be starting at a medical school with only midterms and finals. To be honest it makes me pretty nervous due to the amount of information I'll be responsible for, but at the same time I feel it could be beneficial for boards by forcing students to compound information into long-term memory rather than just stuffing it in test after test.

Thoughts? It would be nice to hear from some people in programs with similar curriculums.

Should I prepare my angus?

The school I am going to is broken up into four ten week blocks for the first two years. The ninth week is where you are tested on everything from the previous eight weeks. I have heard from a lot of different people that they like this approach a lot because it's impossible to cram for a test. You have to consistently study throughout those first seven weeks in order to pass that block. And with this, you retain a lot more information.

 

[UAAWolf]

this is pretty common for law schools -- you have a single test deciding your grade for an entire year course ( not by semester). You adapt.

Yep you sure do. Not fun, but you realize that going into the class so its ok.

You just pray you don't have the flu that day. I took once the day after my gf of 3 yrs broke up with me. 95% lulz...disregard females/acquire md

 

[qmcat]

I would like having only midterms and finals. My school unfortunately makes us write papers and do group projects and presentations, which really sucks up your time and makes grading more subjective. Sometimes getting honors in a class depends on whether or not you have a slacker in your group.

 

[link2swim06]

That sucks...we have 4 midterms + 1 final. It gives you lots of times to screw up and still pass.

I think our anatomy had like 3 midterms, 8 quizzes, 3 practicals, 8 dissection exams, an ultrasound exam, and a final.

 

[Isoprop]

My school unfortunately makes us write papers and do group projects and presentations

 

[cbrons]

Yep you sure do. Not fun, but you realize that going into the class so its ok.

You just pray you don't have the flu that day. I took once the day after my gf of 3 yrs broke up with me. 95% lulz...disregard females/acquire md

👍

 

[yamaraja808]

this is pretty common for law schools -- you have a single test deciding your grade for an entire year course ( not by semester). You adapt.

Yep very true. My mom went to law school and graduated two years ago. Although she did not have a final test deciding her grade for a whole year, she had one final per class that decided the semester for her.

Very brutal.

 

[qmcat]

Ditto. The upside is I'm studying for boards now, and my knowledge of CML, torticollis, Lyme disease, PTSD, and several other random diseases is solid.

 

[Law2Doc]

Yep you sure do. Not fun, but you realize that going into the class so its ok.

You just pray you don't have the flu that day. I took once the day after my gf of 3 yrs broke up with me. 95% lulz...disregard females/acquire md

If you think about it, you only get 1 shot at step 1, and later your board certification exams, so a single test to decide your fate in this field is mostly the norm.

 

[red10]

My school had 2 tests per unit but this last unit and all of M2 only have 1 test. Is it harder if you don't have the will power to pace yourself and avoid trying to cram? hell yea. But is it nice not having a test every 2-3 weeks so you can actually have a life? hell yea.

you adapt either way

 

[Marlicious]

Well we have two semester in a year and we have a midterm and a final. Most of the time they don't count the midterm so the final is 100% plus a certain percentage of the final questions is from previous semesters in the same subject. Anatomy, physiology and biochemistry we will be taking them for three semesters and they will take a certain percentage from each semester so when you are in semester 3 they will sum them all together to decide if you pass or not !!

 

[Emmalin]

We have one 150-question midterm and one 250-question final per class. I like it. At the end of first year, we have a cumulative exam over the entire year that determines if we move on to second year.

 

[D elegans]

The school I am going to is broken up into four ten week blocks for the first two years. The ninth week is where you are tested on everything from the previous eight weeks. I have heard from a lot of different people that they like this approach a lot because it's impossible to cram for a test. You have to consistently study throughout those first seven weeks in order to pass that block. And with this, you retain a lot more information.

Sounds like you're going to where I'm going 😀

 

[smltwnDr]

Sounds like you're going to where I'm going 😀

and where is that?

 

[D elegans]

and where is that?

Mizzou

 

[deleted307836]

I would like having only midterms and finals. My school unfortunately makes us write papers and do group projects and presentations, which really sucks up your time and makes grading more subjective. Sometimes getting honors in a class depends on whether or not you have a slacker in your group.

Just curious... is this very common in medical schools? I'm assuming (hoping) not. Not that I'm a bad team player, but these things are always just huge wastes of time. Not to mention one person usually has to pull much more weight than the others.

 

[Flapjacks]

What's your rep, mate?

 

[UAAWolf]

If you think about it, you only get 1 shot at step 1, and later your board certification exams, so a single test to decide your fate in this field is mostly the norm.

That was pretty much what I convinced myself for those tests. I was like...if I freak out over this, how will I be able to even function during step 1?