Can someone explain to me honestly about the way exams(shelfs) are set up at Ross? are they back to back??...how does that affect your studying habits, stress, ability to do well, etc etc...how is this compared to other unviersities..non-US and US...? anyone know?

I am thinking about ross and I want to get some opinions about this...i'm the type of person that needs exams spread out..so I think I am...is it beneficial to have them back to back?? please explain..

thanks in advance!!!!

yes. shelf exams are back to back at the end of the semester.
the whole point is that you should know everything by that time. Of course, it doesn't always work as you planned. but the shelfs don't count for much anyway- just 15%

15% of ?

can someone give me an idea of what the final grade consists of etc..so i can get an idea of the curriculum..what emphasis they put on what?

Good luck with that one!! - you will never see a Test you take a ross! The only Test you EVER get to see is in 5th semester. You get a grade relative to the bottom 15% of the class on each exam. The spread is usually divided between three exams, a lab grade (in that prospective subject) and a shelf exam grade. Its still a little fuzzy to me how they come to the grade at the end - mind you that 15% of a class of 300 is roughly = 45 failures/course per semester. Remember its hard to "get" into a US medical School - its even harder to "stay" in a Caribbean medical school. Choose wisely!
AND just b.c. you pass their curriculum does not mean you will be able to sit for the USMLE 20 months from your start date. They feel that just passing their curriculm is not good enough to pass the USMLE so you have to be above the prescribed GPA cut off. They are trying to statistically catch everyone they feel not capable of passing the USMLE and holding them in MIAMI until they pass the NBME comprehensive exam - if you fail that exam even though you passed all your courses (but did not have the GPA they saught) you have to wait another 1-3 months before the next exam in given. This goes on for three attempts until you are withdrawn from the university holding 110,000 dollars in student loans.
So although I am not sure I answered your question adequately, it does give you some perspective into the mentality you will have to endure for the next two years.

the b12 worm

edit: posted in wrong thread

I hope you're not talking about the op, me, .....I'm not trolling the boards worrying if i will fail...I'm seeing how the curriculum is to find out as much info as i can about how they test and how your grade is calculated so i can compare it to other schools since i compared everything else..plus..I'm seeing if they just dump all this work on you without thinknig wther the students can handle X amount of information for multiple subjects before a test.... where do you see that i'm worried about failling? I asked what are the benefits of back to back tests...not anything failing


Suggesting that if i'm trolling the boards worrying and failing and all that other ** is a quick judgement to make if you don't even know me

I'm happy school is easy for you - - keep your post handy for later on


the b12 worm

There are 5 shelfs that are taken at the end of 2nd semester. One is taken each day. The shelfs account for 15-25% of your grade depending upon the class. There are still 3 mini's to take before the shelf exams which are 15-40% of your grade depending upon the class. oh, do not for get lab practicals or anatomy, neurology, and histology.

In an accelerated program, spreading out the exams wouldn't work. That would eliminate the semester breaks altogether (and you don't want that). The key is to learn how things integrate together instead of learning them as different subjects since the USMLE is all integrated in one all day test. Step 2 is even one hour longer. Step 3 is two days in a row.

By the way, it sounds like you may be confusing the typical exam as a shelf exam (if not, sorry). The typical exam at Ross is called a MINI exam and is written by your Ross faculty. You will take 3 MINI exams which are integrated together on one test booklet and are taken all at the same sitting. The SHELF exams are standardized subject exams written by the National Board of Medical Examiners and are taken at the END of each course.

I hope that helps!

-M

__________________
MitchDC/MD
RUSM 2006 Graduate

How prepared for the shelf exam, and for that matter the USMLE, are the students that study primarily from the faculty notes and packets?

Blue Skies

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I am Superman
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*Skydivers don't knock at Death's door. We ring the bell and run away.

*100% pure adrenaline ... other guys snort for it, jab a vein for it, all you gotta do is jump
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