75% to Pass?

[StriveToBeDr]

Hi, on SABA website, it says 75% is the minimum mark to pass a course. I know students are supposed to get as high as possible.
But 75% for a cutoff? Come on....

[HJMA]

go to other school if you don't like it

[bigkap87]

It is 75% to pass because that is the minimum score required to pass the USMLE. It really is not that bad, many exams are curved according to the class average usually with a mean of 85 or so.

[StriveToBeDr]

Thank you. Since in undergraduate, it is unhearable to have a class average of 85%, not to mention the medical school courses.

[miasma]

uh, the 75 usmle passing score is NOT a percent score...

[tintin24]

i thought about this, and i came to the conclusion that the only reason saba has a 75% as a cut off mark is to instill a psychological fear/goal/training that you MUST study enough to atleast get a 75% all the time. and bingo, thats the minimum to pass the usmle.
and the averages are between 84-87%....so dont worry, 75% cut off is not that scary.

[morefunmd]

i thought about this, and i came to the conclusion that the only reason saba has a 75% as a cut off mark is to instill a psychological fear/goal/training that you MUST study enough to atleast get a 75% all the time. and bingo, thats the minimum to pass the usmle.
and the averages are between 84-87%....so dont worry, 75% cut off is not that scary.

Yes, it is certainly doable to get 75%. After all this is Grad school guys! In PhD programs anything below 80% is considered for an "unofficial" probation which means they talk to you if there are any problems in your life. In other words, you are expected to get A's only.
Med schools are somewhat more relaxed on grades hence a passing grade is sufficient enough to be in "good standing."

Don't get scared though, there is plenty helps and think that if everybody else can do it, so can you.:p

[don1]

Not all grad schools marks are equal. Although many school averages for graduate programs (masters, phds) are well above 80%, this trend does not exist across the board. Failing a class (getting below 70%) in graduate studies is rare.

I can't speak for the US or the Carb. but in Canada, studying medicine is not a graduate program it is an undergrad program. This allows individuls who have not completed an undergrad begin studying medicine after a minimum of 3 years of undergrad studies.

Bear in mind that my experience from medical school and from speaking to others is that if you don't learn the material they have no problem failing you. If you study hard and smart you are likely to do well.

Yes, it is certainly doable to get 75%. After all this is Grad school guys! In PhD programs anything below 80% is considered for an "unofficial" probation which means they talk to you if there are any problems in your life. In other words, you are expected to get A's only.
Med schools are somewhat more relaxed on grades hence a passing grade is sufficient enough to be in "good standing."

Don't get scared though, there is plenty helps and think that if everybody else can do it, so can you.:p

[bigkap87]

uh, the 75 usmle passing score is NOT a percent score...

uh, it is a percent score but not accurate as to the total percentage of questions answered correctly as some questions are dropped and some are experimental.

[rokshana]

uh, it is a percent score but not accurate as to the total percentage of questions answered correctly as some questions are dropped and some are experimental.

uh, no miasma is right, it is not a %. The 2 digit score on the USMLE is a throwback to the actual ECFMG exam that was in place before the creation of the USMLE. Foreign students had to take the 2 day, 800 question exam that covered the 4 years of medical school and had to have at least a 75% on it to be licensed. Many state licensing boards have the 75 number in place for requirements for foreign graduates and it would have just too difficult to get all of them to change, so...

the USMLE gives out both a 3 digit and a 2 digit score. The 2 digit score is a scaled score, normalized against those taking the exam during a certain time period. The 3 digit is a more accurate score of perforamance (and my GUESS is that it is more a raw score - there are 350 questions, 50 are beta, therefore 300 questions count- and the theoretical perfect is 300...). so depending on the year you take the exam the 2 digit score will represent a different 3 digit score, but the baseline 75 will be what the USMLE will set- at the moment it is 185...when i took it, 182 was 75.

The percentage is more like 60% to pass.

[miasma]

uh, it is a percent score but not accurate as to the total percentage of questions answered correctly as some questions are dropped and some are experimental.
yeah, i'm really surprised how many people are misinformed about this...