The Effect of an End-of-Clerkship Review Session on NBME Psychiatry Subject Exam Scores

• Published in: Academic psychiatry 2012-05, Vol.36 (3), p.226-228
• Main Authors: Sidhu, Shawn S., Chandra, Rohit M., Wang, Lei, Gollan, Jacqueline K., Rasminsky, Sonya, Brar, Simerjeet K., Anzia, Joan M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bias; Brief Report; Class Size; Clinical Clerkship - methods; Clinical Competence; Consolidation; Control Groups; Data Analysis; Education, Medical, Undergraduate - methods; Educational Measurement - statistics & numerical data; Effect Size; Experimental Groups; Higher Education; Humans; Intervention; Low Achievement; Measures (Individuals); Medical Education; Medical Students; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mental Disorders; North America; Psychiatry; Psychiatry - education; Raw Scores; Review (Reexamination); Scores; Studies; Summative Evaluation; Teaching Experience; Teaching Methods; Test Taking Skills - methods; Tests
• ISSN: 1042-9670; 1545-7230
• DOI: 10.1176/appi.ap.10120166

Objective The NBME Psychiatry Subject Examination (PSE) is used throughout North America to test MS—III end-of-clerkship knowledge; yet, literature on PSE preparatory methods remains sparse. This study assesses the effect of a curriculum intervention on NBME PSE scores. Methods An optional 1.5-hour review session and accompanying fill-in-the- blank handout was offered to 62 MS—III students 3 days before their exam. Students who did not attend the session were e-mailed the handout with completed answers. The primary outcome measure was a change in scores, with students in the previous year serving as the control group. Results The average raw PSE score of students offered the review session was 84.53, versus 77.15 for matched controls (p