Medical undergraduates’ perceptions on the end of course assessment in Surgery in a developing country in South Asia

OBJECTIVE: This study reports findings from a feedback assessment conducted among final year medical undergraduates on the end of course assessment in Surgery. A self-administered questionnaire was used among 201 final year medical undergraduates of the Faculty of Medicine Colombo to collect students’ perceptions on clinical assessment (i.e. long and short cases), performance of examiners during clinical assessments and student perceptions on different types of undergraduate assessments in Surgery. RESULTS: Approximately 90% of undergraduates perceived that both long and short case assessments were fair in assessing their knowledge and clinical skills. On the overall assessment in Surgery, approximately 90% agreed that tasks reflected those taught, assessment covered a wide area of knowledge and skills in Surgery and time given for assessment was adequate. Most felt long case to be the best method in assessing whether one is a safe doctor with good communication skills and ability to apply knowledge practically. Thus, a majority of students were satisfied with the current assessment system and most perceived the clinical component to be superior to all other components in assessing whether a student is suitable to become a good and a safe doctor. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-018-3828-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.