All prospective doctors will encounter standardized tests on their way to their destination careers. Like the ACT or SAT, the purpose of these exams is to test students from a number of different schools and backgrounds on similar questions. However, while the ACT and SAT test on general knowledge across a variety of topics, standardized tests for medical school students are focused more on derivative topics and subjects that will be useful in the careers of medical doctors. Here is a look at the two exams that future medical doctors are most likely to have to take:

MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test): The MCAT is the test that each student must take in order to get into US medical schools. It is required for US medical school admission and taken into consideration at most foreign medical schools with US approval or accreditation. While this test does not deal specifically with medical issues, it does deal with more abstract concepts that are deemed to be directly applicable to a career as a doctor. These concepts include problem solving, critical thinking, communication (writing) skills, basic science knowledge, et al. One does not have to think too hard on how being strong in these areas are necessary to being a successful medical doctor. The exam is separated into four different sections, with each one being timed to the point that the entire exam takes somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 to 5 hours…and that is much shorter than it used to be! The biggest aspect of the MCAT is the role that it plays in students getting into medical school. It typically operates on a sliding scale with other factors such as GPA and core courses completed. The better an MCAT score, the more leeway allowed in these other areas and vice versa.

USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Exam): The USMLE is an exam usually taken after medical school. Within the United States, this exam is administered by the National Board of Medical Examiners or the Federation of State Medical Boards. For foreign graduates, the exam may be administered by the ECMFG (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates). This exam consists of three main sections, and all three must be completed and passed before an MD is eligible to practice medicine in the United States. Historically, about 90% of graduates from American medical schools have been able to pass the USMLE, but the number drops to 70% for those from foreign institutions – with numbers between individual institutions varying significantly. It should also be noted that various types of medicine may require their own examinations. For example, osteopaths must take the COMPLEX (Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination) before being eligible for US licensure.

It is probably fair to say that standardized tests are an imperfect way to qualify students and graduates for the next level of their profession. But in the absence of a perfect way which has yet to be discovered, they will continue to exist and every future doctor will continue to have to take them.

Testing Agencies Information:
ECFMG website: ecmfg.org
ECFMG from school perspective
MCAT from the AAMC

Testing Agencies Information:
ECFMG website: http://ecfmg.org
ECFMG from school perspective: http://www.auamed.org/ecfmg-usmle-information
MCAT from the AAMC: https://www.aamc.org/students/applying/mcat/

Author Bio: Testing Agencies Information:
ECFMG website: ecmfg.org
ECFMG from school perspective
MCAT from the AAMC

Category: Education
Keywords: Medical schools, mcat, usmle, standardized tests