Medical Students Academic Performance Assessment in Physiology Courses Using Formative and Summative Quizzes at SMBB Medical College Karachi, Pakistan

Background Formative practice quizzes have become common resources for self-evaluation and focused reviews of course content in the medical curriculum. In the current study two separate studies were conducted to (1) compare the effects of a single or multiple voluntary practice quizzes on subsequent summative examinations and (2) examine when students are most likely to use practice quizzes relative to the summative examinations. Material and Methods In the first study, providing a single online practice quiz followed by instructor feedback had no effect on examination average grades compared to the previous year or student performances on similar questions. However, there were significant correlations between student performance on each practice quiz and each summative examination (r 50.42 and r 50.24). When students were provided multiple practice quizzes with feedback (second study). Results there was a weak correlation between the frequency of use and performance on each summative examination (r 50.17 and r 50.07). The frequency with which students accessed the practice quizzes was greatest the day before each examination. In both studies, there was a decline in the level of student utilization of practice quizzes overtime. Conclusion we concluded that practice quizzes provide some predictive value for performances on summative examinations. Second, making practice quizzes available for longer periods prior to summative examinations does not promote the use of the quizzes as a study strategy because students appear to use them mostly to assess knowledge one to two days prior to examinations.