A Study on the Performance of Medical Students in Internal Assessment and its Correlates to Final Examinations of 2nd MBBS Pharmacology Curriculum in a Medical College of Eastern India

Abstract

Objectives: The present study was undertaken to assess whether performance in the continuous assessment method as determined by internal assessment, correlates to the final summative evaluation in 2nd professional MBBS students in Pharmacology for the last four years (2009-2012). Materials and Methods: This study was conducted over a period of three months at Nilratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata (West Bengal, India). It was a retrospective non-interventional record-based study based on the students’ score sheets of 2nd MBBS Pharmacology examinations. Results: The strength of correlation between internal assessment marks and total summative examination was fond to be highly significant at p < 0.0001, thereby implying that continuous assessment plays a vital role in influencing the overall performance of the undergraduate medical students. Conclusion: This study revealed that performance in the internal assessment and final examination have a direct correlation although not completely linear, thereby indicating that other possible variables would have influenced the final result of the 2nd MBBS Pharmacology curriculum.

Keywords

• curriculum
• internal assessment
• medical education
• pharmacology