Sunday, September 12, 2010
A Flaw in The Way We Decide Who Becomes Our Doctors?
Who your future doctors will be, as well as your future lawyers and other professionals. A Minnesota study looked at how effective standardized tests like the MCAT, GRE and other tests are predicting success. According to their report, the standardized tests are excellent predictors of how well people will perform in graduate education. The tests are actually more effective than looking at grades earned over the college years. But here’s where it gets interesting. The authors admit there are several factors which need to be considered when evaluating students. Letters of recommendation, personal statements and extracurricular activities. Critics of standardized tests say they don’t place emphasis on other life experiences, that in the case of medicine, can bolster into the personal side of medicine and patient care.