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Is test security a concern when OSCE stations are repeated across clerkship rotations?
A H Niehaus1, D A DaRosa, S J Markwell
1Department of Surgery, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield 62794, USA.
Summary
Repeating objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) stations within an academic year does not appear to significantly impact student scores. Analysis showed no consistent trend of increasing scores on repeated OSCE stations, suggesting test security is maintained.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Assessment and Evaluation
Background:
- Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) are widely used in medical education.
- Concerns exist regarding test security when OSCE stations are repeated across clerkship rotations within the same academic year.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of repeating OSCE stations on student performance.
- To determine if there are significant score differences on stations administered multiple times within a single academic year.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed data from 15 OSCE stations used in a third-year surgery clerkship (1989-1994).
- Each station was administered three or four times annually.
- One-way ANOVA with contrast coding was used to identify linear trends in scores.
Main Results:
- Only 3 out of 15 stations exhibited significant linear trends.
- One orthopedic station showed a significant decrease in scores (p=.0001).
- Two stations (general surgery and plastic surgery) showed significant increases (p=.0004 and p=.0253, respectively).
Conclusions:
- No consistent evidence suggests students score higher on OSCE stations repeated throughout the academic year.
- Repeating OSCE stations within an academic year appears feasible without compromising test security due to score inflation.