That makes sense acctually...i mean thinking about it more, i suppose even if the test is oral and subjective, truth be told you cant know what they are going to ask, so you still have to know everything.....it acctually seems a little bit more stressfull, because what they ask you may not be indicative of what you know....however, it still seems like you students planning to practice in the U.S. are getting the short end of the stick being tested that way...

I think many students would agree with you...the testing appears subjective, and does not seem applicable to the US world. But, I can tell you that it is very, very helpful.

Some examples: first of all, you need to know your basic science pretty well, as you have no idea what the test will cover. You need to know it well enough to explain to somebody else, which is actually another level of knowledge when you compare it to recognizing correct answers on an exam. Second, when you finish medical school and the dreaded USMLE's, how do you think you will be tested? That is right, oral examination. A prerequisite for board certification in any speciality that I can think of is passing an oral exam....believe me, the experience you get at a school like Charles will be very helpful in that instance. Third, how do you think you will be tested on a day to day basis on the wards? That is right, the attending will look at you and ask a question, and likely ask you to explain your answer. Again, doing this time and time again in Prague enables me to not stress during these times, and to think logically through a question while under pressure, and come up with a good answer. You would not believe how hard this is for some people, many of whom are very smart and excellent test takers.

Also, a primary responsibility of any doctor is to teach. The curriculum at Charles prepared me to ask questions as well as answer them. I truly think that while there are many struggles while in school in Prague, the benefits become more apparent after you graduate.

Good luck

"First of all, you need to know your basic science pretty well, as you have no idea what the test will cover."
I have found in my school that exams are comprehensive to a degree which would be impossible to cover in an oral format....I understand the idea that you dont know what they are going to ask you in an oral exam thus you should know everything, but the fact that tests are graded subjectively and that people vary in their communication skills seems to indicate that possibly some people -better talkers" so to speak- could do well without really knowing as much... Furthermore, why not test a student on everything they should know?? a method that would be exceddingly difficult in an oral format..

You need to know it well enough to explain to somebody else, which is actually another level of knowledge when you compare it to recognizing correct answers on an exam.

Again...I agree with you, yet i also disagree...i think basic sciences is important as a foundation for learning clinical medicine but i think for a physician thats all it is...a foundation from which to learn clinical medicine....the job of explaining the electron transport chain -or some other such concept- is the job os a science professor and i think not as much the job of the physician...i like to think its the physicians job to understand scientific concepts, incorporate them into their thinking, and see where they may apply clinically....
Now, being able to explain clinical concepts orally i totally understand and agree with...but truth be told, untill pathology, most basic sciences are clinical only to a superficial degree -atleast where i learn medicine they are-...although everything is related to clinical medicine, and questions are always asked in the form of clinical vignettes, the real question tests the scientific core...


Second, when you finish medical school and the dreaded USMLE's, how do you think you will be tested? That is right, oral examination. A prerequisite for board certification in any speciality that I can think of is passing an oral exam....believe me, the experience you get at a school like Charles will be very helpful in that instance.

I agree with you..and im sure going to medical school where you are tested in that fashion deffinately prepares you to better deal with patients and doctors...however, there is something to be said about the benefit and even necessity of standardized testing given to all students receiving a medical education- and that is a means with which to compare a student, or a medical education, to another...The fact that your medical education is not taylored for those standardized tests -as are the medical educations of everyone else you will be competeing agaisnt when you take those tests- is why i say you guys are getting the short end of the stick....despite medical knowledge being universal, medical educations apparently are not...which i was acctually suprised to hear...i had never heard -or would have imagined- that other places used oral testing formats and was intrigued by it when i first read it here the other day...which is probably a testament to my limited, undobtedly ethnocentric perspective -which im sure is another advantage of going to medical school in europe.



Third, how do you think you will be tested on a day to day basis on the wards? That is right, the attending will look at you and ask a question, and likely ask you to explain your answer. Again, doing this time and time again in Prague enables me to not stress during these times, and to think logically through a question while under pressure, and come up with a good answer. You would not believe how hard this is for some people, many of whom are very smart and excellent test takers.
I cant refute you here....except to reiterate the point that it seems more important to be able to explain clinical topics as opposed to basic sciences ones...which may explain why examinations become oral in the clinical setting and as a physician candidate/physician progresses in their education....


Also, a primary responsibility of any doctor is to teach. The curriculum at Charles prepared me to ask questions as well as answer them. I truly think that while there are many struggles while in school in Prague, the benefits become more apparent after you graduate.
That sounds great...


P.S. does your school take students for summer electives???