' * _ Practical Guide to Medical Student Assessment Zubair Amin Chong Yap Seng Khoo Hoon Eng Practical Guide to Medical Student Assessment P I * 1 J0^ H 1 $ laClICal UUIUG 10 M ^^ J* . . .I ^^ • -B JL. G/BHHHHHftK juOBBsfiBS l888C ^UBBaStd BWBSRkl fin 2BBk>__ BBtBBUB BS SQ3 JBBBSBX GJBSBBBFbt. nanlu LawSwl li %%l"%%ITIr riI ^BBB^ $OHB^ ^Bnw$ tjflg^F %&m&P BS S SSI ^wlfflfffi SI Ira TOSS ^ '^ il ,A ™5SS^f> Z H B JH a SU H 0tfWfCe 0SQlhl fil B btf jjnaw ^Iflflflhlrtftl Bi ljouiflf c National University of Singapore ooo Hoon oig isipp worio oci©ntiTsc NEW JERSEY • LONDON • SINGAPORE • BEIJING • SHANGHAI • HONG KONG • TAIPEI • CHENNA! Published by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. 5 Toh Tuck Link, Singapore 596224 USA office: 27 Warren Street, Suite 401-402, Hackensack, NJ 07601 UK office: 57 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9HE British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. PRACTICAL GUIDE TO MEDICAL STUDENT ASSESSMENT Copyright © 2006 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission from the Publisher. For photocopying of material in this volume, please pay a copying fee through the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. In this case permission to photocopy is not required from the publisher. ISBN 981-256-808-5 Typeset by Stallion Press Email: [email protected] Printed in Singapore by World Scientific Printers (S) Pte Ltd For Professor Matthew Gwee Mentor, Teacher, and Educator Extraordinaire Foreword Assessment of medical students is one of the ways of affirming our obligation to society and to the public at large. Through assessment we can ensure that our future doctors have acquired the necessary competency to work as physicians and are capable of meeting the demands of society's healthcare needs. The competent delivery of healthcare requires not just knowl edge and technical skills, but must include other qualities such as communication, counselling, interdisciplinary care, and evidence- and system-based care. Therefore, our assessment system needs to be com prehensive and robust enough to assess these attributes along with testing for essential knowledge and skills. It is also imperative that the assessment system meets the requisite criteria of a good assessment by addressing the issues of validity, reliability, fairness and transparency. As medical teachers, it is our professional responsibility to update ourselves on best practices and best evidence in assessment and to make a conscious educated effort in implementing them. The success of these endeavours depends on easy and concise information on the various methods of assessment. Three of my col leagues have taken the initiative to write this very practical and much needed guide on assessment. This guide should give medical teachers the necessary knowledge and confidence to design valid, reliable, fair and transparent assessment for their students. Professor John Wong Dean, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine National University of Singapore Singapore January 2006 vii Acknowledgement We thank our fellow members of the Medical Education Unit and Education Task Force, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Drs Matthew Gwee, Koh Dow Rhoon, Tan Chay Hoon, Goh Poh Sun, and Lau Tang Ching who first reviewed the Guide. We also gratefully acknowledge the comments and suggestions made by the various heads of the departments in the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. Our special thanks to Ms Linda Lim, from the Publication Support Unit, National University Hospital and National University of Singapore, for editing the draft. The views expressed here are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Medical Education Unit, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine or other bodies. IX