Syed Sajid Hussain Shah.
The evaluation of undergraduate medical students\' perception regarding the summative assessment of pathology.
Pak J Med Health Sci Jan ;13(4):1030-2.

Background : Teaching and learning is an active and vital process for the growth, prosperity, progress and development of the mankind. The assessments have got paramount importance for the evaluation of achievements in the process of teaching and learning. The assessment is a dynamic process which requires modifications from time to time for the precise evaluation of required components of learning outcomes. Aim : To evaluate the perception of undergraduate medical students about the multiple choice questions (MCQ) and short answer questions (SAQ) which have been used for the summative assessment of pathology. Methods : The study is conducted through a questionnaire which included 10 items about the multiple choice questions (MCQ) and 11 items are related to short answer questions (SAQ) . A total of 250 proformas have been distributed among the willing participants from the students in faculty of medicine by convenience sampling during the study period of April 2019 to May 2019. Results : A total of 212 completely filled proformas have been analyzed which were received during the study period. These proformas have been received from 71 female students and 141 male students . A significant number of both male and female students think that multiple choice questions (MCQ) of pathology challenge d their thought process. A significant majority of the male and female student think that the multiple choice questions (MCQ) are a good tool to assess their knowledge more accurately. Among the female students, 75% are in favor that the examination should contain only MCQs while only 45% of male students are in favor of this notion. The majority of male and female students think that more study time is required for the preparation of SAQ type examinations and a significant number of students think that for pathology SAQs, they have to study hard. Conclusion: The perception of MBBS students regarding the multiple choice questions (MCQ) used for the summative assessment of pathology is that these MCQ have challenged their thought process and the multiple choice questions (MCQ) are a good tool to assess their knowledge more accurately. Majority of the female students expressed that only the MCQ should be used in the summative assessment of pathology while majority of male students prefer to have both MCQ as well as SAQ type of questions in the summative assessment of pathology.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com