Stepping Back: Re-evaluating the Use of the Numeric Score in USMLE Examinations

Abstract

There are increasing concerns from medical educators about students' over-emphasis on preparing for a high-stakes licensing examination during medical school, especially the US Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1. Residency program directors' use of the numeric score (otherwise known as the three-digit score) on Step 1 to screen and select applicants drive these concerns. Since the USMLE was not designed as a residency selection tool, the use of numeric scores for this purpose is often referred to as a secondary and unintended use of the USMLE score. Educators and students are concerned about USMLE's potentially negative influence on curricular innovation and the role of high-stakes examinations in student and trainee well-being. Changing the score reporting of the examinations from a numeric score to pass/fail has been suggested by some. This commentary first reviews the primary use and secondary uses of the USMLE scores. We then focus on the advantages and disadvantages of the currently reported numeric score using Messick's conceptualization of construct validity as our framework. Finally, we propose a path forward to design a comprehensive, more holistic review of residency candidates.