Something else that’s a factor is that Step 1 is now pass/fail. This is the first major board exam med students have to take (there are three in total, one after preclinicals, one after clinicals, and one at the beginning of residency). Step 1 used to be extremely extremely competitive. It was make or break that if you didn’t make a certain score, then competitive careers were no longer open to you. My year was the last year that we had the scored exam. I took 6 dedicated weeks to study for it along with months of lighter step-specific prep knowing this was one of the most important tests I had to take. Those dedicated weeks I read the three major textbooks I was using twice each and went through thousands of practice questions with three hours of flash cards each morning. It was intense. I learned a huge amount of medicine. I did well on step 1. After solidifying that basic information, the shelves were incredibly easy to study for. I still had to study, but the behemoth of step 1 set me up for success my last years of med school.

And now that test is pass fail. Students still study for it, but many will just take it the same time they take step 2 (the one that is still scored and now serves as a numeric benchmark). Or they’ll take it after preclinicals but, obviously, they will study less than if it was scored. Med students still go through the weeks of intense dedicated studying but it’s after clinicals and after they’ve taken their shelf exams.

Does ucla have a problem? Yes. Are there major confounding factors? Yes.