Thread: Curve or masking a same of inability to teach

Does usmle give curve ? If answer is no then stop this curve
teaching is compromised with curve.
Ha ha ha curve is real thing ? If curve is ethical then no one should be allowed to fail cuz cheating small or big is same thing. If teacher give one person to 30% ppush or other student to 40% ----> lifting in exam is illegal

Originally Posted by ohmniw

Does usmle give curve ? If answer is no then stop this curve
teaching is compromised with curve.
Ha ha ha curve is real thing ? If curve is ethical then no one should be allowed to fail cuz cheating small or big is same thing. If teacher give one person to 30% ppush or other student to 40% ----> lifting in exam is illegal

Ohmniw, while I commend your interest in encouraging the administration to grade based on a straight percentage system, in fact, the USMLE is based on a bell curve. The USMLE phased out percentage scoring back in the late 90's. The 3 digit score you receive is set as a mark against the 221 as the mean with a standard deviation of 23 and a cut-off of 188 (if memory serves correctly).
If you'll recall from your epidemiology, 95% are within 2 standard deviations. So, with a cut-off between the 1st and 2nd standard deviation on the lower end of the bell curve, a certain number must fail (roughly 10%) in order for the curve to be properly distributed.

This works solely because of the large sample size to distribute the score for- and it shifts with the increase in test takers and the change in proportion of students taught by in the US vs. international schools.

All that said, a more undeniable argument against a curve for your class is that your class is WAY TOO SMALL for a proper sampling size. Further, and on a more philosophical slant, grading on a curve shifts the focus of trying to score better than you did on your previous performance to just beating the guy/gal sitting next to you...pure poisonous mentality for an academic culture leading to mistrust, insecurity, and lack of faith towards all involved (as even these posts would attest).

As for those that receive what could be construed as undeserved, and unfair-to-the-rest-of-the-class help, I've yet to see a single one of them make it past step 1. These tests on the island are only the school's attempt of measuring your comprehension of the material...and the steps and (un-compromised) NBME shelf exams do a far better job at it than any individual professor.

Remember that, and study smart (ie- don't memorize) and you'll pity the cheaters when you're in clinicals.