The Assessment of Undergraduate Medical Students’ Satisfaction Levels With the Objective Structured Clinical Examination

BACKGROUND: The objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) has been introduced as an efficient method for the assessment of medical students. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to determine the satisfaction level of undergraduate medical students of internal medicine department with the OSCE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study, performed on all available undergraduate students at the end of their internal medicine training period in Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. The students responded to 15 multiple-choice questions with confirmed validity and reliability. RESULTS: The majority of the students (94.5%) had a positive attitude toward the OSCE and mentioned that the OSCE format was a more appropriate type of exam than other methods of testing; however, 79.1% thought that the OSCE format was stressful. In addition, the participants’ sex had no effect on their level of satisfaction with the examination. Likewise, there was no significant correlation between their level of satisfaction and their age, marital status, or lack of previous experience with this type of exam. CONCLUSIONS: If the exam standards are met and a uniform dispersion of the scientific content is maintained, the OSCE method of assessment can be recommended as an efficient and applicable method for assessing medical students.