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Students' insights on the objective structured practical examination as an assessment tool for undergraduates

Abstract

Background & Objective: The Objective Structured Practical Examination (OSPE) is mandatory for undergraduate and postgraduate medical examinations. This is an important component of formative and summative examinations proposed by the National Medical Council, India. OSPE helps evaluate the practical skills of the students in real-time settings. This approach is an innovative method for evaluating and delivering medical education. Moreover, it helps to bring objectivity to the evaluation process. Most studies identify the OSPE as a tailored technique for assessing performance in a realistic educational setting. However, understanding students' perspectives is now a critical need. OSPE relies on a predetermined checklist, which effectively reduces examiner bias. To fully utilize its potential, it is necessary to bridge the current knowledge gap regarding students' perspectives toward the conduct of OSPE. The study aims to gain insights into students' viewpoints, which could help refine and enhance OSPE, making it a more effective assessment tool. Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to identify the characteristics of the respondents. A structured restricted Google questionnaire was given to collect feedback from MBBS phase I students in the 2023 batch at Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, on various components of the OSPE. Out of 150 students, 132 provided responses. Data analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel Professional Plus 2016 and R Version 4.3.3. The data obtained was analyzed using descriptive statistics, and the frequency distribution was presented in pie charts and percentages. A chi-square test was done, and data was considered significant at p-value ≤ 0.001. Results: Out of the 132 students, approximately 31.1% were aware of OSPE beforehand. More than 80% reported that the instructions provided before the OSPE were clear and easy to understand. Around 96% felt that the time allocated for each station was sufficient. Additionally, 76% noted that the instructors' attitudes were more positive during the OSPE than traditional exams. Furthermore, 77.7% believed introducing OSPE would eliminate bias in assessment, and 89.4% felt that OSPE encouraged them to focus more on the practical examination. Conclusion: Students found OSPE a straightforward, bias-free, and aptitude-based mode of examination. OSPE appears to be a fine tool for assessment. It enhances students' laboratory competence and provides objective scores for the evaluation, making it an extremely viable assessment method.

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Students' insights on the objective structured practical examination as an assessment tool for undergraduates

Author: Ismail, Faiza; Habib, Safia; Singh, Yogendra; Ahmed, Istiaque; Moin, Shagufta
Publisher: Zenodo
DOI: 10.61882/edcj.18.2.144
Source: https://zenodo.org/records/17255526/files/article-1-2287-en.pdf
Copy igh © 2025 Zanjan Uni e si y o Medical Sciences. Published by Zanjan Uni e si y o Medical Sciences.
This wo k is licensed unde a C ea i e Commons A ibu ion-NonComme cial 4.0 In e na ional license (h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-
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S uden s' insigh s on he objec i e s uc u ed p ac ical examina ion
as an assessmen ool o unde g adua es
Faiza Ismail1, Sa ia Habib1, Yogend a Singh1, Is iaque Ahmed1, Shagu a Moin1
1Depa men o Biochemis y, J.N. Medical College, Facul y o Medicine, Aliga h Muslim Uni e si y, Aliga h, India.
.
A icle in o Abs ac
In oduc ion
Assessmen is a c ucial pa o e alua ing he knowledge
and skill o a lea ne [1]. The e ha e been con inuous
a emp s in medical educa ion o make assessmen s mo e
objec i e and eliable. Con en ional me hods su e
om a ious sho comings, like examine bias, lack o
p ope communica ion skills and a i ude among
s uden s, ailu e o iden i y and acknowledge hei
sho comings, and absence o a sys ema ic and objec i e
e alua ion o all he compe encies [2]. P ac ical
examina ions a e i al in assessing non-clinical subjec s,
making hem essen ial o cul i a ing and de eloping
compe en physicians [3]. Keeping his poin in iew,
medical colleges in he Uni ed Kingdom, he Uni ed
S a es o Ame ica, and Canada adop ed he Objec i e
S uc u ed P ac ical Examina ion (OSPE) as a s anda d
assessmen me hod [4]. A s udy by Ha den and his
colleagues iden i ied ha OSPE has he es o ime and
has o e come he p oblems o con en ional p ac ical-
ela ed examina ions [5]. One s udy epo ed ha OSPE
was well-accep ed and ecei ed widesp ead app ecia ion
Ismail e al. J Med Edu De . 2025; 18(2): 144-152 Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen
Backg ound & Objec i e: The Objec i e S uc u ed P ac ical Examina ion (OSPE) is manda o y
o unde g adua e and pos g adua e medical examina ions. This is an impo an componen o
o ma i e and summa i e examina ions p oposed by he Na ional Medical Council, India. OSPE
helps e alua e he p ac ical skills o he s uden s in eal- ime se ings. This app oach is an inno a i e
me hod o e alua ing and deli e ing medical educa ion. Mo eo e , i helps o b ing objec i i y o
he e alua ion p ocess. Mos s udies iden i y he OSPE as a ailo ed echnique o assessing
pe o mance in a ealis ic educa ional se ing. Howe e , unde s anding s uden s' pe spec i es is
now a c i ical need. OSPE elies on a p ede e mined checklis , which e ec i ely educes examine
bias. To ully u ilize i s po en ial, i is necessa y o b idge he cu en knowledge gap ega ding
s uden s' pe spec i es owa d he conduc o OSPE. The s udy aims o gain insigh s in o s uden s'
iewpoin s, which could help e ine and enhance OSPE, making i a mo e e ec i e assessmen ool.
Ma e ials & Me hods: A c oss-sec ional s udy was conduc ed o iden i y he cha ac e is ics o he
esponden s. A s uc u ed es ic ed Google ques ionnai e was gi en o collec eedback om
MBBS phase I s uden s in he 2023 ba ch a Jawaha lal Neh u Medical College, Aliga h Muslim
Uni e si y, Aliga h, U a P adesh, on a ious componen s o he OSPE. Ou o 150 s uden s, 132
p o ided esponses. Da a analysis was pe o med using Mic oso Excel P o essional Plus 2016
and R Ve sion 4.3.3. The da a ob ained was analyzed using desc ip i e s a is ics, and he equency
dis ibu ion was p esen ed in pie cha s and pe cen ages. A chi-squa e es was done, and da a was
conside ed signi ican a p- alue ≤ 0.001.
Resul s: Ou o he 132 s uden s, app oxima ely 31.1% we e awa e o OSPE be o ehand. Mo e
han 80% epo ed ha he ins uc ions p o ided be o e he OSPE we e clea and easy o unde s and.
A ound 96% el ha he ime alloca ed o each s a ion was su icien . Addi ionally, 76% no ed
ha he ins uc o s' a i udes we e mo e posi i e du ing he OSPE han adi ional exams.
Fu he mo e, 77.7% belie ed in oducing OSPE would elimina e bias in assessmen , and 89.4% el
ha OSPE encou aged hem o ocus mo e on he p ac ical examina ion.
Conclusion: S uden s ound OSPE a s aigh o wa d, bias- ee, and ap i ude-based mode o
examina ion. OSPE appea s o be a ine ool o assessmen . I enhances s uden s' labo a o y
compe ence and p o ides objec i e sco es o he e alua ion, making i an ex emely iable
assessmen me hod.
Keywo ds: objec i e s uc u ed p ac ical examina ion, assessmen ool, biochemis y, Google
o ms
*Co esponding au ho :
Faiza Ismail, Depa men o
Biochemis y, J.N. Medical College,
Facul y o Medicine, Aliga h Muslim
Uni e si y, Aliga h, India.
Email: [email protected]
B ie epo
A icle his o y:
Recei ed 28 Sep. 2024
Accep ed 23 Ap . 2025
Published 13 Jul. 2025
How o ci e his a icle:
Ismail F, Habib S, Singh Y, Ahmed I,
Moin Sh. S uden s' insigh s on he
objec i e s uc u ed p ac ical
examina ion as an assessmen ool o
unde g adua es . J Med Edu De .
2025; 18(2): 144-152.
[ DOI: 10.61882/edcj.18.2.144 ] [ Downloaded om edujou nal.zums.ac.i on 2025-10-03 ]
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Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen ¦ Volume 18 ¦ Issue 2 ¦ 2025 145lopmen ¦
Volume 17 ¦ Issue 54¦ 2024
om s uden s who suppo ed i s implemen a ion. The
same s udy also quo ed he ad an ages ha OSPE o e s
o o ma i e (day- o-day) assessmen o s uden s o
imp o e hei clinical compe ence and o de i e an
objec i e sco e o in e nal assessmen [6]. Howley
epo ed ha acul y eedback on OSPE iden i ied i as a
be e ool o imp o ing s uden s' pe o mance and
eaching me hodologies [7]. In 1975, Ha den e al.
highligh ed he p omising ole o he OSCE in assessing
basic clinical skills and es ablished i s eliabili y [2].
Mos o he s udies ied o e alua e OSPE as an
assessmen ool o p ac ical examina ions and ied o
compa e i wi h he adi ional me hods. Howe e , o ou
knowledge, a ew s udies ocus on s uden s' pe spec i es
ega ding OSPE [8].
Examina ions should be ai , comp ehensi e, and
objec i e, as dic a ed by he discipline [9], and mus
assess s uden s' knowledge, skills, and a i udes.
The e o e, he assessmen me hods employed o e alua e
s uden s' pe o mance in he Biochemis y labo a o y
should connec o he cou se objec i es. In India,
Compe ency-Based Medical Educa ion (CBME) was
adop ed in Augus 2019, ini ially implemen ed o he
Bachelo o Medicine and Bachelo o Su ge y (MBBS)
ba ch admi ed in Phase I ( he i s yea o 2019)
(h ps://www.nmc.o g.in/in o ma ion-desk/ o -
colleges/ug-cu iculum/#).OSPE s a ions can assess
a ious skills, including labo a o y p ocedu es,
iden i ica ion, mic oscopic skills, and diagnos ic and
applied medical aspec s [10]. This is an o ganized
app oach o he s uden s o ecognize and iden i y hei
de iciencies and e ine and en ich hei clinical abili ies
[11]. Since OSPE is a new me hod o assessing p ac ical
compe encies, engaging wi h s uden s and unde s anding
hei expe iences and insigh s ega ding he en i e
p ocess is essen ial.
This app oach will help c ea e a ai , eliable, and
e ec i e assessmen amewo k. By u ilizing s uden
eedback, medical ins i u ions can imp o e how hei
assessmen me hods align wi h he compe encies and
enhance he s uden 's lea ning jou ney.
In ligh o he indings and exis ing li e a u e, he au ho s
aimed o analyze OSPE as a me hod o assessing
p ac ical skills in biochemis y among i s -yea MBBS
s uden s a Jawaha lal Neh u Medical College (JNMC),
AMU. The s udy also sough o e alua e he e icacy o
OSPE as a pedagogical ool. Hence, he p ima y goal o
his esea ch was o gain and access s uden s' iews on
OSPE as an e alua ion ool a an unde g adua e le el.
Ma e ial & Me hods
Design and se ing(s)
The s udy included MBBS phase I s uden s admi ed o
he 2023 ba ch a Jawaha lal Neh u Medical College,
Aliga h Muslim Uni e si y, Aliga h, U a P adesh.
These s uden s unde wen aining in bo h p ac ical and
heo e ical opics, including all aspec s ou lined in he
CBME cu iculum. Fu he , be o e implemen ing his
e alua ion me hod, all acul y membe s in ol ed in i s
design we e ho oughly b ie ed and sensi ized. S uden s
we e also gi en an o ien a ion abou he p ocess in
ad ance. They o a ed h ough se en s a ions, which
included h ee skill-based s a ions, wo iden i ica ion
(knowledge-based) s a ions, and wo diagnos ic s a ions
(assessing knowledge, skills, and a i udes). The ime
allo ed o each s a ion was 2 minu es (Figu e 1). All
se en s a ions we e de eloped a e an in ensi e ocus
g oup discussion among he acul y membe s in ol ed in
OSPE, keeping in mind he alignmen o he ques ions,
p ocedu es, o in e p e a ions a a ious s a ions wi h he
compe encies s udied by he s uden s o da e. The whole
OSPE ca ied 14 ma ks, wo o each s a ion. The e o e,
i was decided by he Boa d o S udies o he depa men
o o m 7 s a ions o wo ma ks each and assign a ime
o 2 minu es. This is acco ding o he Na ional Medical
Council guidelines.
O ien a ion o s uden s and examine s is done be o e he
s a o OSPE o amilia ize hem wi h he OPSE
pe o mance and e alua ion p ocess. Se e al s eps a e
in ol ed in designing and se ing OSPE s a ions.
S uden s we e u he ins uc ed o o a e clockwise o
ensu e hey a ended all s a ions. S ic measu es we e
implemen ed o p e en communica ion among s uden s,
ensu ing no in e ac ion be ween hose who had
comple ed he OSPE and hose awai ing hei u n. Each
OSPE s a ion included s uc u ed and objec i e
ques ions, wi h acul y membe s obse ing and
e alua ing s uden s a e e y s a ion using a p o ided
checklis .
The assessmen o p ocedu e s a ions was based on his
checklis , while s uc u ed ques ions and co esponding
key answe s we e c ea ed o each s a ion. The
e ec i eness was assessed h ough se en sho
assignmen s designed by he subjec expe . Each
assignmen was amed acco ding o Bloom's axonomy.
This ensu ed ha assessmen co e ed highe cogni i e
skills o deepe lea ning and skills ans e o a wide
spec um o applied biochemis y [12].
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146 Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen ¦ Volume 18 ¦ Issue 2 ¦ 2025
Figu e 1. Depic s se -up o se en s a ions designed o OSPE
O ien a ion o s uden s and examine s is done be o e he
s a o OSPE o amilia ize hem wi h he OPSE
pe o mance and e alua ion p ocess. Se e al s eps a e
in ol ed in designing and se ing OSPE s a ions.
S uden s we e u he ins uc ed o o a e clockwise o
ensu e hey a ended all s a ions. S ic measu es we e
implemen ed o p e en communica ion among s uden s,
ensu ing no in e ac ion be ween hose who had
comple ed he OSPE and hose awai ing hei u n. Each
OSPE s a ion included s uc u ed and objec i e
ques ions, wi h acul y membe s obse ing and
e alua ing s uden s a e e y s a ion using a p o ided
checklis . The assessmen o p ocedu e s a ions was
based on his checklis , while s uc u ed ques ions and
co esponding key answe s we e c ea ed o each s a ion.
The e ec i eness was assessed h ough se en sho
assignmen s designed by he subjec expe . Each
assignmen was amed acco ding o Bloom's axonomy.
This ensu ed ha assessmen co e ed highe cogni i e
skills o deepe lea ning and skills ans e o a wide
spec um o applied biochemis y [12]. The p ocedu al
s a ions assessed p ac ical labo a o y skills, such as he
quali a i e es ima ion o analy es ( o example, Hay's
sul u es o bile sal s). In con as , he esponse s a ions
ocused on highe cogni i e skills, e alua ing he
applica ion o knowledge in clinical scena ios. These
included asks such as in e p e ing lab epo s based on
case scena ios o iden i ying and applying labo a o y
ins umen s, all aligned wi h he cu iculum's lea ning
objec i es.
Pa icipan s and sampling
One hund ed i y s uden s we e assessed o e h ee
days, wi h a maximum o 50 s uden s e alua ed each day.
Phase I MBBS s uden s o JNMC, AMU, who we e
willing o pa icipa e om he admi ed ba ch o 2023,
we e included in he s udy. S uden s om o he acul ies,
di e en p o essional yea s, o he cou ses, and hose
who op ed no o pa icipa e we e excluded. The sample
size was calcula ed using a 95% con idence le el, a 5%
signi icance le el, and a 3.5% ma gin o e o , ollowing
he o mula p o ided below [13].
𝑛 = 𝛸2 ×𝑁×𝑃×(1−𝑃)
(𝑀𝐸2 ×(𝑁−1))÷(𝛸2 ×𝑃 ×(1 −𝑃))
Whe e:
Χ2 = 3.842 a 1 deg ee o eedom and 5 % signi icance
le el.
N = 150 (Popula ion size)
P = 0.5 (Popula ion p opo ion) [13]
1-P = 0.5
n = Sample size
ME = 0.035 (Desi ed ma gin o e o )
The calcula ed sample size was 125, and he o al numbe
o pa icipan s was 132
Tools/Ins umen s
Google ques ionnai e links we e sen o 150 s uden s
immedia ely a e hei hi d in e nal assessmen , well
[ DOI: 10.61882/edcj.18.2.144 ] [ Downloaded om edujou nal.zums.ac.i on 2025-10-03 ]
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Ismail e al.: S uden s' insigh s on he objec i e s uc u ed p ac ical examina ion as an assessmen ool
Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen ¦ Volume 18 ¦ Issue 2 ¦ 2025 147lopmen ¦
Volume 17 ¦ Issue 54¦ 2024
be o e hei p o essional examina ions. (To assess he
s uden 's pe cep ion o he o e all conduc o OPSE,
ques ions 1-7 we e asked in he ques ionnai e wi h h ee
al e na i es- Yes/No/Somewha . Fu he , o gi e an idea
abou he speci ic s ance o pa icipan s on OSPE as an
assessmen ool, s a emen s 8-11 we e gi en. S uden s
we e ins uc ed o gi e hei opinion by ma king any one
o he h ee op ions- Ag ee, Disag ee, o Neu al.
Ques ion 12 was a closed-ended mul iple choice, wi h
ou op ions based on he o e all e ec i eness o OSPE
in judging he di e en skills o a lea ne ). The
ques ionnai e was alida ed by in ol ing subjec expe s
o check he ele ance and accu acy o he included
ques ions and conduc ing a pilo s udy on 30 s uden s.
The ques ionnai e's eliabili y coe icien was
de e mined by calcula ing C onbach's alpha [14].
Da a collec ion me hods
A Google ques ionnai e was adminis e ed o collec
eedback om s uden s on a ious componen s o he
OSPE. The ques ionnai e comp ised close-ended
ques ions co e ing cogni i e, psychomo o , and highe -
o de hinking domains and s uden s' o e all pe cep ion
o OSPE as an assessmen ool. OSPE is designed using
NMC guidelines o he unde g adua e cu iculum
(h ps://www.nmc.o g.in/in o ma ion-desk/ o -
colleges/ug- cu iculum/#) a e being adop ed h ough
he Boa d o S udies o he Depa men o Biochemis y,
Jawaha lal Neh u Medical College, Aliga h, U a
P adesh, India. Pa icipan anonymi y was ensu ed o
p omo e hones eedback. To u he mi iga e he
esponse bias, he language o he ques ions in he
ques ionnai e was kep neu al o a oid leading answe s.
A ange o op ions like Ag ee, Disag ee, and Neu al was
gi en o ensu e a balanced esponse. Op ions like he
'Neu al' o 'NO' op ion, whe e e easible, we e gi en o
he pa icipan s o know hei ue pe spec i e. O he 150
s uden s, 132 p o ided esponses.
Da a analysis
Da a managemen was conduc ed using Mic oso Excel
P o essional Plus 2016. S a is ical calcula ions we e
pe o med using R Ve sion 4.3.3. The chi-squa e es
was done, and p ≤ 0.001 was conside ed signi ican .
Resul s
The C onbach's alpha o he adminis e ed ques ions was
0.859, indica ing good in e nal consis ency o he
ques ionnai e. S uden s p o ided cons uc i e eedback
and exp essed a high accep ance o he assessmen
p ocess, as demons a ed by he da a in Table 1. The
s a is ical analysis o he pa icipan s' esponses is shown
in Table 2.
Table 1. Summa y analysis o he adminis e ed ques ionnai e.
C i e ia abou OSPE o be analyzed
Yes
No
Somewha
-
1
Do you ha e any p io exposu e o, knowledge o , o unde s anding o
OSPE?
31.1%
42.4%
26.5%
-
2
Did you ind he ins uc ions o each s a ion clea and unde s andable?
85.7%
4.5%
9.8%
-
3
We e he ques ions ele an o he syllabus?
97.7%
0%
2.3%
-
4
Did you eel you had adequa e ime o comple e each s a ion?
96.2%
0%
3.8%
-
5
Did you ind OSPE mo e s ess ul han adi ional assessmen me hods?
27.3%
59.8%
12.9%
-
6
Should OSPE be used as a me hod o assessmen in Biochemis y in u u e
exams?
81.1%
7.6%
11.4%
-
7
Do you ind OSPE mo e e ec i e and knowledge-d i en han adi ional
assessmen me hods?
84.8%
3.8%
11.4%
-
C i e ia abou OSPE o be analysed
Ag ee
Disag ee
Neu al
-
8
OSPE is a mo e e ec i e ool o assessing a ious domains o lea ning.
86.4%
2.3%
11.4%
-
9
Teache s' a i udes du ing OSPE we e be e han du ing adi ional
assessmen me hods.
75.8%
1.5%
22.7%
-
10
OSPE elimina e bias in assessmen .
77.7%
5.4%
16.9%
-
11
OSPE encou ages lea ne s o ocus mo e on p ac ical examina ions.
89.4%
8.3%
-
C i e ia abou OSPE o be analysed
Psychomo o -mo o
skills
Cogni i e
skills
Highe -
o de
hinking
All
12
Wha domain does OSPE p ima ily assess in lea ne s?
4.5%
5.3%
3%
87.1%
Abb e ia ions: OSPE, objec i e s uc u ed p ac ical examina ion.
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148 Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen ¦ Volume 18 ¦ Issue 2 ¦ 2025
Table 2. S a is ical analysis o he esponses o he pa icipan s o he adminis e ed ques ionnai e.
No
C i e ia abou OSPE o be analyzed
Chi-squa e alue
p- alue
1
Do you ha e any p io exposu e o, knowledge o , o unde s anding o OSPE?
4.0166
0.134
2
Did you ind he ins uc ions o each s a ion clea and unde s andable?
123.633
< 0.001
3
We e he ques ions ele an o he syllabus?
186.5174
< 0.001
4
Did you eel you had adequa e ime o comple e each s a ion?
178.0664
< 0.001
5
Did you ind OSPE mo e s ess ul han adi ional assessmen me hods?
34.6322
< 0.001
6
Should OSPE be used as a me hod o assessmen in Biochemis y in u u e exams?
102.6452
< 0.001
7
Do you ind OSPE mo e e ec i e and knowledge-d i en han adi ional assessmen me hods?
120.0632
< 0.001
8
OSPE is a be e ool o assess di e en domains o knowledge.
127.679
< 0.001
9
OSPE is a mo e e ec i e ool o assessing a ious domains o lea ning.
87.8954
< 0.001
10
Teache s' a i udes du ing OSPE we e be e han du ing adi ional assessmen me hods.
90.5618
< 0.001
11
OSPE elimina e bias in assessmen .
141.9962
< 0.001
12
Wha domain does OSPE p ima ily assess in lea ne s?
206.156
< 0.001
No e: The able shows he Chi-squa e alues, he co esponding p- alues. C onbach’s alpha o he ques ionnai e = 0.859.
Abb e ia ions: p, p obabili y- alue; OSPE, objec i e s uc u ed p ac ical examina ion.
O 132 s uden s assessed in ba ches o 50 o e h ee days,
31.1% had p io knowledge o OSPE. Mo e han 80%
epo ed ha he ins uc ions p o ided be o e s a ing he
OSPE p o ocol we e clea and easy o unde s and.
Addi ionally, app oxima ely 96% belie ed ha he ime
allo ed o each s a ion was su icien o comple e hei
asks. O e 80% o he s uden s el ha OSPE was mo e
e ec i e han adi ional assessmen me hods. Rega ding
he ins uc o s' a i udes, abou 76% conside ed hem o
be mo e posi i e. Howe e , 27.3% ound OSPE s ess ul
compa ed o he simple spo ing exe cises hey aced in
Biochemis y p ac ical examina ions du ing hei
in e nal mock p epa a o y es s.
Fac o s con ibu ing o his anxie y may include he lack
o adequa e mock exams be o e he ac ual assessmen ,
insu icien p io knowledge o OSPE, con inuous
obse a ion by examine s du ing he examina ion, and
being e alua ed agains checklis s. Ne e heless, mos
s uden s exp essed con idence ha hey would pe o m
s ess- ee du ing hei p o essional examina ions. The
analysis o he 27.3% o s uden s who expe ienced s ess
will be included as an aspec o his s udy in u u e
ex ensions [15]. Figu es 2 and 3 show de ailed analyses
o he OSPE eedback conduc ed unde di e en
headings in pie cha s and ba g aphs.
Figu e 2. Pie-cha s depic ing he s uden 's pe cep ion abou he o e all conduc o OPSE
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Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen ¦ Volume 18 ¦ Issue 2 ¦ 2025 149lopmen ¦
Volume 17 ¦ Issue 54¦ 2024
Figu e 3. Ba g aphs depic ing he iewpoin s o pa icipan s on OSPE as an assessmen ool
Discussion
OSPE has gained wo ldwide ecogni ion as an imp o ed
me hod o eaching, lea ning, and assessmen [16]. The
highligh s o i s bene i s include a ocus on p ac ical
skills, a s uc u ed and objec i e way o assessmen ,
cons uc i e eedback, alignmen wi h he compe encies,
and encou agemen o s uden s o ac i e lea ning [17].
Se e al s udies u he poin ed ou ha OSPE p o ides
objec i e, uni o m, and ocused assessmen , he eby
p o iding an unbiased e alua ion o he s uden s [18].
This ag ees wi h he indings epo ed by Ma d &
Gha ou i, who men ion ha OSPE inc eases he
sa is ac ion o medical s uden s. Abou 86% o s uden s
belie ed ha OSPE es s all he skill domains o he
assessmen [19]. Rajkuma e al. ound ha OSPE is a
signi ican ly be e assessmen ool o e alua ing
p ac ical skills in all p eclinical subjec s [20].
Ramachand a e al., in hei s udy, emphasized he
accep ance o OSPE in he medical cu iculum by bo h
s uden s and acul y [21]. A s udy conduc ed a King
Saud Uni e si y, Saudi A abia, by Alsai e al. obse ed
ha mock OSPE sessions conduc ed be o e he
p o essional examina ions educed he s ess o MBBS
s uden s and imp o ed hei pe o mance [22].
Rega ding bias elimina ion, 77.7% ag eed ha
in oducing OSPE is expec ed o educe bias, while
16.9% emained neu al. 89.4% ag eed ha OSPE
imp o es and encou ages he lea ne o pay mo e
a en ion owa ds p ac ical examina ions. These indings
align wi h P asad e al.'s indings, who indica ed ha " he
OSPE o ma was pe cei ed mo e a ou ably by s uden s
and esul ed in a highe a e age sco e" [15]. OSPE could
be used o examine some cha ac e is ics o pos g adua e
s uden s, such as pe o mance du ing p ocedu es,
ecogni ion o molecula echniques and bioma ke s,
in e p e a ion o esul s, and diagnos ics. In addi ion o
he a ious posi i e aspec s men ioned, implemen ing
OSPE p esen s signi ican challenges ha mus be
acknowledged. The OSPE o ma is o en c i icized o
equi ing esou ces and ime in i s a angemen and
conduc , especially he need o la ge manpowe ,
p epa a ion o p e-de ined checklis s, la ge spaces/halls,
skill labs, simula o s, and well- ained s a [23]. Ye
ano he aspec is he exhaus ion and d aining o he
examine s by he end o he o a ion, esul ing in bias o
un ai e alua ion [24]. Elabo a ing he indings o ou
s udy, excep o he i s c i e ion, "Do you ha e any
p io exposu e/knowledge/unde s anding o OSPE?" all
c i e ia om 1-7 gi en o assess he s uden 's pe cep ion
o he o e all conduc o OPSE showed signi ican
di e ences in esponse pa e ns. The p- alue o he i s
ques ion is g ea e han 0.001, indica ing no s a is ically
signi ican di e ence in he dis ibu ion o esponses.
This indica es ha s uden s' esponses ("Yes", "No",
"Somewha ") ega ding his ques ion we e e enly
dis ibu ed o exhibi ed no clea pa e n. The esul s
suppo he e ec i eness and accep abili y o OSPE as
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150 Jou nal o Medical Educa ion De elopmen ¦ Volume 18 ¦ Issue 2 ¦ 2025
an assessmen ool, wi h posi i e eedback ega ding i s
ele ance, adequacy o ime, cla i y, and e ec i eness.
Fu he , he esul s o all ou c i e ia om 8-11 showed
highly signi ican di e ences in esponses, emphasizing
a s ong posi i e iewpoin o OSPE as an assessmen
ool. S uden s ecognize i s e ec i eness in assessing
knowledge, elimina ing bias, de eloping posi i e eache
in e ac ions, and encou aging s uden s o ocus on
p ac ical skills. This again unde lines OSPE's sui abili y
and accep abili y as a mode n assessmen me hod. An
excep ionally small p- alue was ob ained o he las
c i e ion, demons a ing a e y s ong and clea pa e n
in he da a. I shows ha he esponses we e no e enly
dis ibu ed; ins ead, he e was a signi ican p e e ence o
one op ion. S uden s ag eed on a speci ic op ion
comple ely, which is he e ec i eness o OSPE in
assessing he di e se skills o he lea ne . This esul
u he alida es he obus ness o he obse a ions,
highligh ing a de ini i e and consis en ag eemen
among he pa icipan s. The s udy ies o e alua e OSPE
om s uden s' insigh s, bu a ew limi a ions o his s udy
need o be add essed. Fi s ly, he lack o a p ope la ge
a ea ixed and iden i ied o each s a ion will e amp he
way OSPE is conduc ed. Secondly, s uden s om
di e en ins i u ions should be included. Fu u e esea ch
shall be done ac oss mul iple ins i u ions, mainly in
di e en a eas wi h a ying esou ces, o make he
indings gene alizable. Las ly, he sample size needs o
be inc eased o imp o e he powe o he s udy. A la ge
sample size wi h di e se pa icipan s om a ying
educa ional and socio-economic backg ounds will gi e a
b oade pe spec i e.
Conclusion
S uden s p o ided posi i e eedback, indica ing ha his
e alua ion enhances hei lea ning. OSPE was pe cei ed
as an e ec i e ool o bo h eaching and assessmen .
The e o e, i seems o be a s uden - iendly, e ec i e,
and less biased me hod o labo a o y-based
examina ions. O e all, s uden s' pe cep ions end o
a o OSPE. Fu u e esea ch should concen a e on ways
o enhance he p ocess o s anda dizing OPSE; his will
pa e he way o consis en e alua ion c i e ia.
E hical conside a ions
The s udy, i led "Objec i e s uc u ed p ac ical
examina ion: A be e assessmen ool o unde s and he
magni ude o pe cep ion owa ds unde g adua e
biochemis y p ac ical examina ion o e adi ional
me hods," was app o ed by he O ice o he Ins i u ional
E hics Commi ee, Jawaha lal Neh u Medical College,
Aliga h, U a P adesh, unde P oposal Re e ence
Numbe (IECJNMC/1655). Ve bal consen was ob ained
olun a ily om each s uden who was willing o
pa icipa e in his esea ch.
A i icial in elligence u iliza ion o a icle
w i ing
G amma ly was u ilized o e ine he English language
used in he documen .
Acknowledgmen s
In as uc u e acili ies p o ided by he Depa men o
Biochemis y, Jawaha lal Neh u Medical College, unde
he DST (FIST & PURSE) p og am a e g a e ully
acknowledged. The au ho s acknowledge P o esso
Najmul Islam, Chai pe son, Depa men o
Biochemis y, o his able guidance. We would like o
hank all he s uden s who pa icipa ed in his s udy.
Con lic o in e es s a emen
The au ho s decla e ha hey ha e no disce nible
compe ing inancial in e es s o pe sonal connec ions
ha could be in e p e ed as in luencing he conclusions
made in his wo k.
Au ho con ibu ions
S udy Idea o Design, Da a Collec ion, Da a Analysis,
and In e p e a ion: FI, SH, YS, IA and SM. Manusc ip
P epa a ion, Re iew, and Edi ing: FI, SH. Final
App o al: FI, SH, YS, IA and SM.
Suppo ing esou ces
This esea ch did no ecei e a speci ic g an om any
unding agency in he public, comme cial, o no - o -
p o i sec o s.
Da a a ailabili y s a emen
Da a will be made a ailable a a easonable eques .
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