UF College of Medicine helps students earn best-ever score in national exam

The University of Florida College of Medicine class of 2005 recently earned the school’s best-ever average score on a required national exam, the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1, and a top college administrator says UF teaching innovations deserve some of the credit.

“We do our best to accept outstanding students, and this class’s performance on the USMLE Step 1 indicates that our curriculum and teaching faculty make the students even better,” said Robert T. Watson, M.D., UF senior associate dean for educational affairs.

All U.S. medical students are required to take the Step 1 exam at the end of their second year of medical school, Watson said. The first of three USMLE exams students must pass to become licensed physicians, the Step 1 exam evaluates whether students have sufficient basic science knowledge to begin clinical training.

This year’s UF average score was 227, he said. The national average is not yet available but is expected to be approximately 216, last year’s average. The failing score is 182, and more UF students scored above 250 than scored below 200. UF’s previous best average score for the exam was 225, achieved last year by the class of 2004.

“The students and the faculty who helped them learn should feel justifiably proud of this outstanding performance,” Watson said.