The week of application of the National Examination of Applicants to Medical Residences (ENARM) 2021 has finally concluded. It was months or perhaps years of preparation to face the eight hours of duration of the test. But that does not mean that the process is finished because the most important part is still missing, which is the publication of selected folios. while a very important aspect that you must take into account is that of the tiebreaker criteria. It is a crucial section when two or more doctors obtain the same score and select the same specialty.
As always mentioned, in this type of test all aspects count and up to one tenth can make a difference. But even then it is possible for applicants to obtain the same grade. This results in a serious problem because places are limited and not everyone will be able to meet their goal.
The ENARM with the most available places in history
First of all it is necessary to point out that according to the Ministry of Health (SSa) this year 30 thousand places will be awarded. This is the highest figure in the history of ENARM. But although the number of applicants who took the test has not been revealed, it is estimated that there were at least 54 thousand young people.
Although this year just over half of the applicants are going to obtain a residency there will also be several thousand rejected. That is why it is not enough to know your score that was given to you that same day but you must also be aware of the tiebreaker criteria that will be applied in 2021.
On this subject, the Interinstitutional Commission for the Training of Human Resources in Health (CIFRHS) published an official guide that you can consult at this link. In this document it is mentioned that there are 10 items that are taken into account if two or more doctors obtain the same final grade and they are the following:
- The highest number of hits in the items by degree of high difficulty.
- The highest number of hits in the items by degree of medium difficulty.
- The highest number of hits in the reagents made in English language high difficulty.
- The highest number of hits in the questions made in English language medium difficulty.
- The highest number of hits in the internal medicine question block.
- The highest number of hits in the pediatric question block.
- The highest number of hits in the block of obstetrics-gynecology questions.
- The highest number of hits in the surgery question block.
- The alphabetical order considering the first letter of the first surname and if the tie persists, the second letter of the first surname must be considered.
- The alphabetical order considering the first letter of the second surname and if the tie persists, the second letter of the second surname should be considered.
The document also mentions that the degree of difficulty was established based on the cognitive level used to choose the correct answer to each item, which is based on Bloom’s Taxonomy as follows:
General considerations
The selection of doctors of the Mexican category is determined by the number of places authorized by each health institution for each specialty, in accordance with the clinical fields of specialty courses endorsed in the SNRM by educational institutions and by the number of scholarships for medical specialty studies offered by CONACyT through specific calls.
The selection of foreign category doctors is determined by the minimum “Total Score” of the Mexican category and in accordance with the number of places offered by the SNRM. They will be able to make the selection once the process for the category of Mexican people has concluded.
The doctors who work in the Secretariats of National Defense or the Navy of Mexico, will compete in the respective category as independent groups for their positions in accordance with the agreements entered into for that purpose.
No specialty changes will be made once the breadwinner completes their selection process.