How Important Are Medical Students' Final Examinations?

(Clinical experience, performance in final examinations and learning style in medical students: prospective study)

In a paper in this week's BMJ McManus et al throw some doubt on the validity of medical students' final examinations. In their study the authors find that students with the most clinical experience are not those who perform best in their finals. If it is important in medical training for students to obtain as much clinical experience as possible, then final examinations require restructuring to assess and reward clinical experience. The authors conclude that medical school recruitment should stress the need for deep learning abilities in addition to assessing potential candidates on their A level grades.

Contact:

Professor Chris McManus, Professor of Psychology and Medical Education, Centre for Health Informatics and Multiprofessional Education, University College London Medical School
email: i.mcmanus@ucl.ac.uk

or

Professor Peter Richards, Medical Director, Northwick Park and St Mark's Trust, Northwick Park Hospital, Harrow