70 - Test Taking Behaviors and Performance of Medical Gross Anatomy Students

Poster Board Number: 70
There are separate poster presentation times for odd and even posters.
Odd poster #s – first hour
Even poster #s – second hour

Abstract Body : Previous research has established that changing one’s answer on multiple-choice examinations is more likely to lead to negative academic outcomes. However, there is no clear understanding of how the amount of time spent on individual questions and the full exam relates to answer changes and the outcomes that follow. This study aimed to further understand the relationship between changing answer selections, time spent on exam questions, and individual question and exam performance within a first-year medical student population. The participants in this study consisted of 163 first-year medical students enrolled in a gross anatomy course at a medical institution in the United States. For each student, data involving overall exam performance, individual question performance, and exam-taking practices were extracted from an online testing software, Examsoft, for the third gross anatomy lecture exam in the fall of 2019. Exam-taking practices data included answer selections, navigation between exam questions, and the time each student spent on each question and the full exam. The answer selection data included students’ initial answer selections as well as any answer changes. Using this deidentified data, the researchers determined how many times students changed their answers and whether this resulted in a positive or negative outcome. Additional analysis was completed for time spent on each question in relation to question performance. This study found that the average overall exam performance resulted in a percentile score of 76 with scores ranging from 53 to 94. Students, on average, used 106 minutes and 10 seconds out of the allotted 180 minutes to complete the exam. Time spent on the exam ranged from 38 to 180 minutes. The average time spent on each individual question was 1 minute and 6 seconds. Because most exams are taken with a time restraint, it is important for both educators and students to understand the relationship between time spent on an exam question and/or full exam and the decisions and outcomes that follow. The results of this study could lead to a better understanding in how much time is recommended for students to efficiently take their exams, as well as provide a deeper understanding in what exam taking practices are shown to be the most beneficial for students to utilize for success regardless of subject.