Here's a breakdown:
* High-Stakes Consequences: Medical errors, legal malpractice, and other professional failings can have devastating consequences for individuals and society. Standardized tests, while imperfect, aim to provide a relatively objective measure of minimum competency that all applicants must meet before being entrusted with significant responsibilities. Failing a bar exam or medical licensing exam directly translates to a significant risk of harm being avoided.
* Uniformity and Comparability: Professional licensing exams strive for a consistent level of evaluation across different educational backgrounds and institutions. College grades can vary wildly in rigor and grading standards between institutions and even professors within the same institution. A standardized test attempts to level the playing field, ensuring a baseline competency regardless of where a candidate received their education.
* Public Protection: Licensing boards act as gatekeepers, protecting the public from incompetent or unqualified practitioners. While college graduation demonstrates completion of a program, it doesn't necessarily guarantee the specific skills and knowledge required for safe and effective practice in high-risk professions.
* Limited Scope of College Courses: College courses often cover a wide range of topics and assess a variety of learning objectives. Professional licensing exams are highly focused on the specific knowledge and skills essential to practice within that profession. The scope is narrower, making a standardized test more effective at evaluating competency in a specific domain.
In contrast, college courses in less critical fields don't carry the same level of public safety risk. While proficiency is valued, the consequences of a graduate lacking certain skills are generally not as severe or directly life-threatening. The emphasis in other fields tends to be on a broader assessment of student learning, incorporating coursework, projects, research, and potentially a thesis or capstone project which provide a more holistic view of competence.
It's important to note that standardized tests are not without their flaws. They may not always accurately reflect real-world abilities or be completely free of bias. However, for professions where public safety is paramount, they currently serve as the most practical approach to ensuring a minimum level of competency.