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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">Dear Class of 2028,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">On Friday, March 28 at 9am in person, a
<b><u>required</u></b> diagnostic exam will be administered for all MS1 students via Kaplan. The exam has 150 questions with 1.5 minute allowed per question for students with standard timing. This diagnostic exam is designed to closely resemble the content
and style of the USMLE Step 1 examination. Many of the exam items require students to integrate information from multiple courses or threads. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">The purpose of this diagnostic exam is to help students gauge understanding and retention of material learned throughout the year. Students will have several more required
diagnostic opportunities to reassess content knowledge, retention, and progress towards Step 1 readiness. These include an administration of NBME’s Comprehensive Basic Science Exam (CBSE) in October of semester 3, the NBME subject exam in Pathology and another
administration of a diagnostic exam, both in December of semester 3 after the completion of the Phase 1 curriculum. None of the scores from these exams will appear on your transcript. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">Because this exam is administered prior to the end of Phase 1, students will encounter some questions assessing content that has not yet been covered in Upstate’s curriculum.
Students do not need to specifically prepare for the diagnostic exam. As courses build upon each other, so does the ability to prepare for the diagnostic exam. Completing practice questions on a weekly basis from resources such as Kaplan, previous courses,
current courses as well as suggested reading material will assist you in preparing for this exam. Additionally, Student Support Services has many resources to help students with testing skills and test taking preparation. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">A CAPD diagnostic debrief session will provide students with important information on how to interpret results and next steps. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">Thank you, <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">Rebecca Greenblatt, PhD, Assistant Dean for Phase 1 Foundational Sciences<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">Rachel Hopkins, MD, Assistant Dean for Phase 1 Clinical Science <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">Mary Ann Grandinetta, MS, Director, NCOM Educational and Career Success <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Verdana",sans-serif">Margaret Maimone, PhD, Assistant Dean of Student Affairs for NCOM Advising<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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