Is ChatGPT’s Knowledge and Interpretative Ability Comparable to First Professional MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery) Students of India in Taking a Medical Biochemistry Examination?

Introduction ChatGPT is a large language model (LLM)-based chatbot that uses natural language processing to create humanlike conversational dialogue. It has created a significant impact on the entire global landscape, especially in sectors like finance and banking, e-commerce, education, legal, human resources (HR), and recruitment since its inception. There have been multiple ongoing controversies regarding the seamless integration of ChatGPT with the healthcare system because of its factual accuracy, lack of experience, lack of clarity, expertise, and above all, lack of empathy. Our study seeks to compare ChatGPT’s knowledge and interpretative abilities with those of first-year medical students in India in the subject of medical biochemistry. Materials and methods A total of 79 questions (40 multiple choice questions and 39 subjective questions) of medical biochemistry were set for Phase 1, block II term examination. Chat GPT was enrolled as the 101st student in the class. The questions were entered into ChatGPT’s interface and responses were noted. The response time for the multiple-choice questions (MCQs) asked was also noted. The answers given by ChatGPT and 100 students of the class were checked by two subject experts, and marks were given according to the quality of answers. Marks obtained by the AI chatbot were compared with the marks obtained by the students. Results ChatGPT scored 140 marks out of 200 and outperformed almost all the students and ranked fifth in the class. It scored very well in information-based MCQs (92%) and descriptive logical reasoning (80%), whereas performed poorly in descriptive clinical scenario-based questions (52%). In terms of time taken to respond to the MCQs, it took significantly more time to answer logical reasoning MCQs than simple information-based MCQs (3.10±0.882 sec vs. 2.02±0.477 sec, p<0.005). Conclusions ChatGPT was able to outperform almost all the students in the subject of medical biochemistry. If the ethical issues are dealt with efficiently, these LLMs have a huge potential to be used in teaching and learning methods of modern medicine by students successfully.