UCD Med Exam Results

Medstudent

Hey,

I'm not sure if any other college results are out yet. We got ours in ucd today. I was just wondering what the average gpa is in medicine? I'm in third year and got an overall of 3.33?

Can anyone shed some light on what they consider an average gpa?!!

ORLY?

Are these final year results you're getting? Do you mind if I ask how this is working with the intern matching scheme? I was under the impression that results had to be sent into the HSE by your uni by mid May, well at least your ranking in the class.

Brods

Trinity doesn't use gpa so I have no idea what that means...

vinylqueen

according to this a 3.3 GPA is equivalent to about a B+ so i'd be pretty happy best check with the college though!

GradMed

www.ucd.ie/registry/assessment/student_info/modulargradesexplained.pdf

The above pdf should explain the grading system

Sid_Justice

a gpa 3.3 is a high 2.1 (2H1)

Breezer

Sid_Justice wrote: »

a gpa 3.3 is a high 2.1 (2H1)

2.1 is anything from 3.08 to 3.67. So it's a middle of the road 2.1 really. Not that that's a bad thing

OP if you're in third year (I assume that's 2nd med since the 3rd meds are still going?) don't worry about your results, good or bad, they count for nothing. Enjoy your summer.

ORLY?

Woah, third year? Missed that in the OP. Yeah, definitely don't sweat it about the results yet. Plenty of time left yet for it.

Susie-O-

that's frickin awesome, good work!you should be very happy with it!

Medstudent

Thanks! it's kinda hard to know where you stand within your class you know? Apparently UCD were discussing allowing students to view class tables but decided against it!! would've been helpful.

Haha but i guess since it doesn't count towards my degree i shouldn't be worrying.

Is it harder in the clinical years to do better in exams or easier because it's not just written but oral and practical?

danthefan

Can I ask, does it really make a difference how you do in comparison to your class? If you've gotten a 2.1 that's an excellent grade by any standard.

Breezer

Medstudent wrote: »

Thanks! it's kinda hard to know where you stand within your class you know? Apparently UCD were discussing allowing students to view class tables but decided against it!! would've been helpful.

When it starts mattering it's marked on a curve, since they need to keep consistency between different years, and also between different groups within the same year once the class gets more split up later on.

Haha but i guess since it doesn't count towards my degree i shouldn't be worrying.

Exactly, stop being such a med student

Is it harder in the clinical years to do better in exams or easier because it's not just written but oral and practical?

Harder. I suppose if you're really bad at expressing yourself in writing you might find the clinical exam style a bit friendlier, but the material gets a lot tougher and they mark like demons. And they're right to really: you are going to have a lot of responsibility after all. It'll be the same for everyone though

danthefan wrote: »

Can I ask, does it really make a difference how you do in comparison to your class? If you've gotten a 2.1 that's an excellent grade by any standard.

In third year no. In the clinical years yes, yes it does, unfortunately. Simply due to competition for intern places. Under the new CAO-like system introduced this year, places are allocated based on where you rank in your class in terms of centiles. So the top 1% in the class in UCD is on level par with the top 1% in the class in Trinity, UCC, etc. Same for the second 1% in each class, etc. So those with the top placings in their class around the country will be given their first choice of hospitals, followed by the next best, and there's obviously limited numbers. It's a bit dog eat dog and a lot of consultants are predicting chaos with it, so it may well have changed again by the time you're applying for a job, but as it stands, your classmates are your competition, unfortunately.

Also, it comes back to the grade curve. Your mark reflects (to some extent) how you fared relative to the rest of your class. It has to be this way, because if there's a massively disproportionate amount of 2.1's (for example) compared to other years, something was wrong with the exam or the marking scheme.

But yes, a 2.1 is an excellent grade. Now seriously, without meaning to sound patronising, go and enjoy your summer!

Biologic

This system seems absurd. If someone achieved the points for the most competitive course, why not elect for the least competitive one because a high class placing is more likely? I would have thought the prospective students would be weighted against each other based on standardised exams between colleges. If a final year med student decides to emigrate does this placing rule still apply?

Bio

figs86

Breezer wrote: »

So 1st in the class in UCD is on level par with 1st in the class in Trinity, UCC, etc. Same for 10th in each class, etc. So all the 1st places will be given their first choice of hospitals, followed by all the second places, and there's obviously limited numbers.

How does this work, given that I'm sure there aren't equal numbers in each year of each Med School?

e.g. in a class of 30 people, 30th place is poor but in a class of 70 people, 30th place is in the top half of the class. According to your statement, they would be treated as achieving the same ranking?

I know there's a ranking system as you say but are you sure that's how it works?

Echani

figs86 wrote: »

How does this work, given that I'm sure there aren't equal numbers in each year of each Med School?

e.g. in a class of 30 people, 30th place is poor but in a class of 70 people, 30th place is in the top half of the class. According to your statement, they would be treated as achieving the same ranking?

I know there's a ranking system as you say but are you sure that's how it works?

I think it may be percentile based. So if you placed 30 out of 30 you'd be in the bottom percentile, whereas if you placed 30 out of 100 you'd be in the 70th percentile, comparable to someone who placed 60th out of a class of 200.

figs86

Echani wrote: »

I think it may be percentile based. So if you placed 30 out of 30 you'd be in the bottom percentile, whereas if you placed 30 out of 100 you'd be in the 70th percentile, comparable to someone who placed 60th out of a class of 200.

That's how I thought it is/should be done.

Yayyy more ranking - first Leaving Cert, then GAMSAT, now this.

Medstudent

how does the your percentile position effect your intern posts or your first job after you've been registered?

etymon

Just to add: the faculty of one university told me that the first match went off extremely smoothly and 90% of their class got their first preference with about 70% staying within that uni's teaching hospital network.
It is all percentile ranking and the GEMs are ranked alongside the undergrads in 4th year.
I would look at it as a good incentive to keep grades up, personally, if you want to stay living where you are living for the intern year anyway!

Breezer

Echani wrote: »

I think it may be percentile based. So if you placed 30 out of 30 you'd be in the bottom percentile, whereas if you placed 30 out of 100 you'd be in the 70th percentile, comparable to someone who placed 60th out of a class of 200.

Apologies, it is centile based. I simplified it down above, I can see how it would cause confusion and I'll edit my post.

See my attachment for the official documentation.

etymon wrote: »

Just to add: the faculty of one university told me that the first match went off extremely smoothly and 90% of their class got their first preference with about 70% staying within that uni's teaching hospital network.

I would hope so. But a lot of consultants I've spoken to have grave concerns. We won't know how well it's worked until July.