COMPARISON OF METHODS FOR DEALING WITH TROUBLESOME EXAMINATION QUESTIONS. Norton, James M.. University of New England, College of Osteopathic Medicine, 11 Hill's Beach Road, Biddeford, ME 04005.
APStracts 2:0014S, 1995.
ABSTRACT
This study compared two methods for identifying troublesome examination questions: a post-exam student "challenge committee" process and a "question citation" procedure allowing students to identify troublesome questions during an exam. Challenged and cited questions on eight examinations given to second- year medical students were compared with respect to the percentage of correct responses (%CR) and the discrimination index (DI). Challenged questions had a significantly lower mean value for %CR (53.2 +/- 22.5, n=74) than unchallenged questions (84.7 +/- 15.4, n=428) but the two groups did not differ with respect to DI. For cited questions, the number of citations was correlated with %CR (r=-0.5480, p<.001) but not with DI. The group of questions that received three or more citations (n=145) included 67.6% of all challenged questions and 78.3% of challenges that eventually led to a change in an answer key. A simple citation procedure completed during an exam could replace a complicated, post-exam challenge committee process and achieve the same goal of identifying troublesome questions. 

Received 1 July 1996; accepted in final form 9 September 1996.
APS Manuscript Number S022-6.
Article publication pending J. Neurophysiol.
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1996 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 19 September 1996