Medical Students’ Perceptions of an Assessment Program in the New Doctor of Medicine Curriculum

Purpose: We evaluated the perspectives of medical students on the roles of formative assessments (FAs) and their impact on academic performance, with the goal of identifying areas for improvement.

Methods:This cross-sectional study assessed the perspectives of students related to congruence, authenticity, consultation, transparency, and accommodation. Additionally, it explored students’ preferences for FA, the usefulness of FA, and students’ views and ideas on the effects of summative assessments (SAs) on their learning. A survey consisting of 36 items was distributed to medical students in their second and third years of medical school.

Results: Most of the 40 participating students had a positive attitude toward their perceptions of FA, ranging from 78.13% to 93.33%. In addition, the students expressed that FA was beneficial to their academic experience. There were varying viewpoints on the level of stress caused by FA and which specific aspects of FA could be enhanced.

Conclusions: FAs were feasible and beneficial. Most students viewed FAs favorably because they promoted learning experiences and achievements, and helped identify support needs for SAs, despite some concerns about them being time-consuming and stressful. The use of SAs facilitated better study strategies. However, potential improvements to FAs regarding the feedback process, assessment schedules, and alignment with teaching objectives were suggested to increase their usefulness.