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Using NBME Subject Examinations as a Pretest to Identify Medical Students “At Risk” in a Behavioral Sciences Course

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Abstract

Pretesting students has been considered a sound educational practice but the reports of its utility in medical education are sparse. The purpose of the study was to demonstrate the usefulness of the NBME Subject Examination as a pretest to identify students “at risk” in a medical school behavioral sciences course. The results indicated that the pretest was helpful in documenting course effectiveness and that it and other measures could be used to provide an early prediction of students’ behavioral sciences course grades.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, University of Alabama in Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, 35294, USA

    C. Michael Brooks EdD (Associate Director),  John M. Beaton PhD (Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Coursemaster for the Behavioral Sciences course) &  Richard Maisiak PhD (Senior Educational Evaluator in the Office of Educational Development)

Authors
  1. C. Michael Brooks EdD
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  2. John M. Beaton PhD
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  3. Richard Maisiak PhD
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Additional information

This study was supported in part by NIMH Grant No. 5-TO-2-MH-14570-05.

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Brooks, C.M., Beaton, J.M. & Maisiak, R. Using NBME Subject Examinations as a Pretest to Identify Medical Students “At Risk” in a Behavioral Sciences Course. Acad Psychiatry 6, 101–106 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03399842

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03399842

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