There is a widely held misperception that being able to complete a test quickly is an indication of mastery when compared with those who need more time. As a result, it is often difficult to obtain accommodations on high stakes examinations, including the MCAT and USMLE exams. Many students who request extra time because of a disability are denied accommodations and many other students who need it aren't eligible (e.g., English is a second language) or are inhibited from applying (e.g., Veterans, students from certain cultural backgrounds).
In this month’s issue of the journal Medical Education, titled The myth that slow test-takers are worse students: Implications for time-limited testing (open access), the authors review the evidence that time pressuring even a small proportion of students taking an exam makes it less valid and less equitable, and that a simple solution would be to give everyone the time they need. In this episode, originally aired in 2023, we hear from one of the authors about why it’s past time to do away with time limited tests for everyone.
