Comparison of the scores in essay part and MCQ part of renal pathophysiology exam and surveying students’ views about the effect of such exams on their study

Introduction: In order to benefit from the advantages of essay exams, one must be sure to reliably judge students based on essay test scores. The aim of this study was to examine the correlation of scores in the essay and MCQ parts of renal pathophysiology final exam and students&rsquo; views about the effect of the type of test on their study. Methods: This descriptive correlational survey was performed in Isfahan School of Medicine from fall 2015 to winter 2017. Three groups of students (n=455) participated in the renal pathophysiology and took a test consisting of 36 multiple-choice and 10 essay questions. The MCQ part was graded in OPSCAN software. The correlation of MCQ and essay scores was investigated via bivariate correlation and paired t-test was used to compare the mean scores. Students&rsquo; views about the type of test and its effect on their study were surveyed by means of a Likert-scale questionnaire. Results: There was a strong positive correlation between the scores in essay and MCQ parts in the three groups (group 1: r=0.631 n=151 p<0.0005; group 2: r=0.710 n=136 p<0.0005; group3: r=0.716 n=168 p<0.0005). More than 50 percent of students stated that they had spent more time for studying this course than for those courses with MCQ-only mode of exam. Conclusion: Considering the high and positive correlation between the scores in the MCQ and essay parts of the exam, essay tests can be used along with MCQ tests to assess students&rsquo; level of learning in renal pathophysiology and to increase their motivation for deeper study.