Resitting a high-stakes postgraduate medical examination on multiple occasions: nonlinear multilevel modelling of performance in the MRCP(UK) examinations.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Failure rates in postgraduate examinations are often high and many candidates therefore retake examinations on several or even many times. Little, however, is known about how candidates perform across those multiple attempts. A key theoretical question to be resolved is whether candidates pass at a resit because they have got better, having acquired more knowledge or skills, or whether they have got lucky, chance helping them to get over the pass mark. In the UK, the issue of resits has become of particular interest since the General Medical Council issued a consultation and is considering limiting the number of attempts candidates may make at examinations.

Methods

Since 1999 the examination for Membership of the Royal Colleges of Physicians of the United Kingdom

SUBMITTER: McManus IC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3394208 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature