Association between computer-based testing and national examination results among physical therapy students.
Akira Kubo, Yukari Horimoto, Heonsoo Han and 1 others
PMID 29950765WHAT IT FOUND
Freshman and sophomore computer test scores tracked with national exam results, but only for learning satisfaction.
School life and graduation research satisfaction showed no link. Early test ranks were not strong enough to predict who would struggle on the final exam.
Key findings
01Computer test scores in early years were associated with later national exam results and learning satisfaction, but not with satisfaction regarding school life or graduation research.
02Students who ranked in the bottom quarter on early computer tests were not reliably identified as those who would rank in the bottom quarter on the national exam, with only about a third maintaining that low rank.
03Students in the top quarter on early computer tests were more likely to remain in the top quarter on the national exam, with 52% to 67.7% maintaining that high rank.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study included students from only one campus and was not a large cohort, so the findings may not apply to other programs. National examination scores were self-reported by students based on answer keys, which may not be perfectly accurate. The study did not establish objective criteria for what constitutes necessary knowledge or skills for clinical practice, only correlations with existing tests.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that low scores on early computer-based tests reliably identify students who will fail the national examination. A significant portion of students who ranked in the bottom quarter early on improved to rank in the top quarter by the final exam.