Gender Differences in Medical Students' Self-Assessment: Longitudinal Multi-Cohort Study
Lennart Handke1, Hendrik Friederichs1
1Medical Education Research Group, Medical School OWL, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, Bielefeld, 33615, Germany, 49 52110686623.
JMIR Medical Education
|July 17, 2026
Summary
Medical students show gender differences in self-assessment accuracy, with men rating themselves more accurately than women. This highlights a need for targeted support to improve self-assessment skills, especially for women in medical training.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Gender Studies
- Psychology of Learning
Background:
- Self-assessment is crucial for lifelong learning in medical education.
- Gender influences self-assessment accuracy, suggesting potential systematic differences.
- Previous research indicates gender moderators affect self-assessment outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate gender differences in the self-assessment accuracy of medical students.
- To determine if systematic gender disparities exist in self-assessment.
- To quantify the magnitude of these differences, considering academic progress and knowledge.
Main Methods:
- Surveyed medical students across three cohorts during the Progress Test Medicine.
- Collected self-assessment data on expected test performance in five knowledge areas.
- Analyzed self-assessment accuracy using linear mixed models, controlling for academic progress and knowledge.
Main Results:
- Women (66.6%) rated their self-assessment accuracy significantly lower than men.
- The gender effect on self-assessment accuracy ranged from -6.08 to -3.74 percentage points.
- These differences were statistically significant across all models analyzed.
Conclusions:
- Systematic gender differences in self-assessment accuracy favor men in medical students.
- The magnitude of this gender gap is comparable to a semester's worth of academic knowledge.
- Targeted interventions may be beneficial for enhancing women's self-assessment accuracy in medical studies.
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