Correlation of CPX Scores with the Scores of the Clinical Clerkship Assessments and Written Examinations

Abstract

Purpose: Recently, the clinical performance examination(CPX) using standardized patients has been introduced to several Korean medical schools. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the correlation of CPX scores with the scores of other clinical clerkship assessments and written examinations. Methods: We evaluated the correlation of the scores of CPX, which was administered to third-year medical students(n=230) at Seoul National University College of Medicine in January 2005, with the scores of a slide examination in internal medicine, an objective structured clinical examination(OSCE) in pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology, and the written examinations in internal medicine and general surgery. Results: CPX scores showed a mild correlation with the scores of the slide examination in internal medicine and OSCE in pediatrics and obstetrics/gynecology(r=0.19, 0.28, 0.30). CPX scores were also mildly correlated with written examination scores in internal medicine but not associated with those in general surgery. Conclusion: Considering the mild correlation of CPX scores with scores of other clinical clerkship assessments and written examinations, CPX should be affirmatively considered as an examination complementary to previous examinations.