Comparison of Entrance Selection Systems for Medical Schools in Japan and the United States (Course name: What does a test measure?)

Problem-Based Learning to Encourage Active Learning and Teamwork Among First Year Medical Students - Student Reports in 2019 -

Abstract

Objective: To identify the characteristics of the motivation of medical students and their relationships with entrance selection systems in Japan and the U.S.

Methods and Materials: We had two types of participants: medical students and teachers at medical schools in Japan and the U.S. The students and teachers responded to a survey that included 11 and 3 questions, respectively.

Results: It was found that although students in Japan enter medical schools with high motivation─similar to students in the U.S.─, after some time, medical students in Japan are considerably less motivated than students in the U.S.

Conclusions: Based on the results, we conclude that the selection system of medical schools, including general education, is one of the reasons why motivation decreases drastically in Japan. We propose two potential changes to the selection system for medical schools in Japan.