The lecture that never got to be

Last fall, I was asked to give a talk at a meeting of program directors. The topic? How to make the Match process work better for students and programs. And you’d better believe, I was excited to do it. And then, COVID-19 hit… and the meeting was cancelled. But if you think a viral pandemic […]

#USMLEPassFail: A brave new day

Well, it happened. Beginning as soon as 2022, USMLE Step 1 scores will be reported pass/fail. I’m shocked. Starting around two weeks ago, I began hearing rumors from some well-connected people that this might happen… but I still didn’t believe it. I was wrong. The response thus far has been enormous – I haven’t been […]

The Match, Part 3: On Proposals and The Fight for A Student Optimal Match

In Part 2, we began our review of Match algorithms. We covered the original match algorithm; how it encouraged students to submit dishonest rank lists; and the student revolt that led to a better matching process. It was a good time, and if you haven’t read it yet, you’re gonna want to get caught up […]

The Match, Part 2: Getting under the hood – how does the Match work?

In Part 1 of this series, I reviewed the early history of the Match and explained how this unusual system evolved. Now, it’s time to get under the hood and see exactly how the residency matching algorithm works. Fair warning – I’m going to take my time getting there. See, I had originally envisioned that […]

The Match, Part 1: Why do we have a Match?

Not long ago, I interviewed an applicant for our residency program. She explained how, after each one of her interviews, her grandmother calls her and excidedly asks whether she got the job. “It doesn’t work like that, Grandma!” she says every time, before launching into another explanation of the Match. I laughed when she shared […]

Step 2 CS, Part Two: The Resistance

Welcome to the second part of our trilogy on the USMLE Step 2 Clinical Skills (CS) exam. In Part 1, I reviewed how the Step 2 CS examination came to be. We traced the history of the test from its roots in the early NBME comprehensive exams through its initial demise and eventual resurrection (both […]

How is the three-digit USMLE score calculated?

Last year, as part of my quest to convince whoever will listen that USMLE scores aren’t as useful for residency selection as we act like they are, I wrote about how many points each USMLE Step 1 question is worth. I hypothesized that passing USMLE Step 1 probably required answering around 65% of questions correctly […]