When meaningful and rote learning butt heads or an old threat of “test tyranny” in a new reality of Ukrainian medical education

Over the past decades Ukrainian higher education has been changed dramatically due to the fundamental society transformation and challenges of the world globalization. Longstanding modernization of higher medical education has resulted in a combination of some elements of European Credit Transfer-Accumulation System with American testing. For 16 years, the National Testing Center has been conducting an objective external independent evaluation of the professional competence of future physicians, dentists and pharmacists. This licensed integrated exam "Step" includes one, two or three separate test exams depending on the qualification level - "Step 1" (3rd year), "Step 2" (6th year), "Step 3" (interns), "Step M" (junior Specialists) and "Step B" (Bachelors)