Assessment methods in medical education

Assessment is a component of any instructional system. In medical education several methods have been in use and newer techniques are emerging depending on specific curricula. In using any assessment method it is important to check for practicality, validity and reliability. The methods that are being used currently in Ethiopia have been in use in many countries and still remain as the predominant methods used in many parts of the world. The methods of assessment used in Ethiopia include long case, short case, viva voce and progressive assessment. Each of these methods have its own weaknesses and strengths. The long case has high face validity though there are many advantages related to patient selection and patient and examiner variation, resulting in low reliability. The specific advantage of short case is the diversity of patients observed by the candidate though subjectivity and inter rate variability remain major drawbacks. Progressive assessment is useful in that direct observation and more exposure are used to assess students. However, subjectivity remains a major weakness of this method. It is noted that viva voce is affected by subjectivity and personality of the candidate and appears to add little to the other methods of assessment. In general, the relationship between the various methods of assessment is not consistent. There is a need to find out more objective and effective methods of assessment or at least, improve on the existing ones. In the mean time, in using any of these assessment methods, one should look into the weaknesses and strengths of each method.