Shabih Manzar.
Would prior exposure to MCQs make a difference in scoring among medical students?.
Pak J Med Sci Jan ;19(4):300-2.

Objective: To look at the effect of prior exposure of multiple-choice questions on scoring among medical students. Methods: The study comprised of two groups of students rotating through nursery as a part of Paediatric clerkship. These groups are compared for their performance with and without prior exposure to multiple-choice questions (MCQs). MCQs consist of fifteen items on topic from neonatal care. A total of sixteen male students participated in the study, with eight in each group. Group 1 was given the MCQs on day one and the same questions were given to them on the last day of rotation (two weeks gap period). Group 2 had the same MCQs only on the last day of rotation (no prior exposure). Results: The mean score in percentage for group 1 was found to be 83 while for group 2 was 79. No statistical difference was observed between the two (p= 0.45). Questions 2,3,4,10 had 100% correct response from both the groups while questions 7 and 14 had poor response. Conclusions: We conclude that prior exposure of MCQ does not increment the scoring. Based on our findings we further reiterate that the method of using `MCQ pool` or `Question bank` is an effective method and will not bias the results.

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