West Virginia University School of Medicine Dean Arthur Ross (right) hands a wood box memento to Class of 2014 president Masih Ahmed at the school in Morgantown, Jan. 7.
MORGANTOWN -- WVU School of Medicine Dean Art Ross put Health Sciences Chancellor Christopher Colenda on the spot during a ceremony when he asked if Colenda -- in his more than 10 years as a health education administrator -- had ever witnessed the accomplishment being celebrated. Colenda strode to the podium, took a deep breath and uttered a resounding, "No."
By Alex Lang
The Dominion Post
MORGANTOWN -- WVU School of Medicine Dean Art Ross put Health Sciences Chancellor Christopher Colenda on the spot during a ceremony when he asked if Colenda -- in his more than 10 years as a health education administrator -- had ever witnessed the accomplishment being celebrated.
Colenda strode to the podium, took a deep breath and uttered a resounding, "No."
He had never seen what the class accomplished -- that each member passed the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 exam on the first try. There are 85 members of the 2014 class.
Ross said it's not rare for individuals to pass the test. In fact, roughly 90 percent of everyone who takes the test passes. But it is rare to see an entire class pass it on the first attempt.
Comparing the accomplishment to the sports world, he said what the class accomplished is like a pitcher throwing back-to-back perfect games or a team going undefeated throughout a Big 12 season.
"When it happens, it's really worth celebrating," Ross said.
Class President Masih Ahmed said the entire class is proud of the accomplishment. He added they are a very close group of students.
By Alex LangThe Dominion Post
MORGANTOWN -- WVU School of Medicine Dean Art Ross put Health Sciences Chancellor Christopher Colenda on the spot during a ceremony when he asked if Colenda -- in his more than 10 years as a health education administrator -- had ever witnessed the accomplishment being celebrated.
Colenda strode to the podium, took a deep breath and uttered a resounding, "No."
He had never seen what the class accomplished -- that each member passed the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 exam on the first try. There are 85 members of the 2014 class.
Ross said it's not rare for individuals to pass the test. In fact, roughly 90 percent of everyone who takes the test passes. But it is rare to see an entire class pass it on the first attempt.
Comparing the accomplishment to the sports world, he said what the class accomplished is like a pitcher throwing back-to-back perfect games or a team going undefeated throughout a Big 12 season.
"When it happens, it's really worth celebrating," Ross said.
Class President Masih Ahmed said the entire class is proud of the accomplishment. He added they are a very close group of students.
The students prepared for the exam for about six months, Ahmed said. But it picked up during the past few months, with students devoting 15 to 16 hours each day to studying.
"You're studying for two straight months," he said.
This year the average score for the class was 230, with a top score of 270, said Vice Dean for Education and Academic Affairs Norman Ferrari. This year's cut score -- or lowest passing score -- was 188. Ferrari added it was enjoyable not to have to tell a student he or she was being pulled from the third-year medical education program because they had an unsatisfactory score.
The 100 percent success rate wasn't just a goal for students, Ferrari said. In 1999, administrators were asked to identify goals and Ferrari wrote that he wanted an entire class to pass the Step 1 exam on the first try. He challenged the class when they started two-and-a-half years ago to meet the goal he identified before the new millennium.
Fourteen years later, the goal became a reality.
"You did great," Ferrari said. "We're so excited for you."
The school recognized the achievement with a brief ceremony and reception Jan. 7. Students also received a memento box that noted the accomplishment.
The exam is taken by second-year medical students and is comparable to a more intense SAT.
Students have to answer 322 multiple-choice questions covering general medicine education that was learned during their first two years in med school.
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