Variations in medical school graduating examinations in the United Kingdom: Are clinical competence standards comparable?*

Abstract

Background: While all graduates from medical schools in the UK are granted the same licence to practise by the medical professional regulatory body, the General Medical Council, individuals institution set their own graduating examination systems. Previous studies have suggested that the equivalence of passing standards across different medical schools cannot be guaranteed.

Aims: To explore and formally document the graduating examinations being used in the UK Medical Schools and to evaluate whether it is possible to make plausible comparisons in relation to the standard of clinical competence of graduates.

Methods: A questionnaire survey of all the UK medical schools was conducted, asking for details of graduating examination systems, including the format and content of tests, testing time and standard setting procedures.

Results: Graduating assessment systems vary widely across institutions in the UK, in terms of format, length, content and standard setting procedures.

Conclusions: We question whether is it possible to make plausible comparisons in relation to the equivalence of standards of graduates from the different UK medical schools, as current quality assurance systems do not allow for formal quantitative comparisons of the clinical competence of graduates from different schools. We suggest that national qualifying level examinations should be considered in the UK.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Peter Mccrorie

PETER MCCRORIE is Professor of Medical Education and Head of the Centre for Medical and Healthcare Education at St George's, University of London. His interests are in curriculum development, assessment, PBL, community-orientated learning, graduate entry and interprofessional education.

Katharine A.M. Boursicot

KATHARINE BOURSICOT is Reader in Medical Education and Deputy Head of the Centre for Medical and Healthcare Education at St George's, University of London. She has a particular research interest in the assessment of clinical competence and setting passing standards for examinations.