Teaching Students to Test Wisely
Published on Wednesday, November 20, 2024
By: Dakota Bibbs
Since the COVID-19 pandemic and the change of the scoring system for the USMLE Step 1 to pass/fail, there has a been a nationwide rise in failures for first time test takers on the exam. The University of Mississippi School of Medicine seeks to combat this problem by implementing the Testing Wisely program. It provides a framework for preclerkship medical students to approach standardized exams in a healthy and proactive way.  Testing Wisely consists of monthly workshops on test preparation, time management study strategies, and peer feedback/experiences, access to a commercial question bank, two NBME practice tests, and a simulated comprehensive basic science exam. Program staff monitors student participation in workshops and question bank engagement. An evaluation of the utilization of resources (question bank, academic counseling), on-time scheduling of the USMLE Step 1 exam, and comparison of outcomes prior to the implementation of Testing Wisely is conducted annually. Thus far, because of the program, we have had more students take Step 1 sooner and our pass rate has increased. As we continue the year, we look forward to seeing the fruits of the program’s success.