Consequences of Historical Exam Access vs Timely Exam Feedback on Knowledge Retention (CHEATER)

This study aimed to compare the impact of examination feedback with access to historical examination questions on information retention.

First-year student pharmacists completed a baseline knowledge assessment comprising 30 examination questions divided into 3 conditions, with 10 questions each. In the CHEAT condition, students were provided with 10 questions and their correct answers ahead of time. These 10 questions appeared in the baseline assessment. In the FEEDBACK condition, students answered 10 previously unseen questions but received feedback at the end of the baseline assessment, including correct answers and explanations. The CONTROL condition included 10 previously unseen questions, and no information on correctness or feedback was provided. A total of 3 days after the baseline assessment, the students took a surprise retention quiz with 30 similar questions, including all 3 conditions. The primary outcome measure was student performance on a retention quiz.

Regarding the measures of retention, the FEEDBACK condition resulted in the highest performance compared with the CHEAT (50% vs 44%) and CONTROL (50% vs 23%) conditions. Students were 30% more likely to answer questions correctly when they received feedback in advance through explanations than when they received only correct answers through historical examinations.

Providing students with feedback on examinations improves future performance. Despite concerns regarding returning completed examinations and the potential for future students to access these materials, the advantages of feedback in enhancing learning and retention outweigh the associated risks.