Correlative and Comparative Study Assessing Use of a Mock Examination in a Pharmaceutical Calculations Course

Abstract

Objective. Faculty at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences University's School of Pharmacy-Worcester/Manchester are engaged in continuous quality improvement of their teaching and assessment methods to prepare students for successful careers in pharmacy. This study evaluated the impact of a formative mock examination on student performance on a main summative examination (main examination) administered during the spring 2020 semester of a pharmaceutical calculations course.Methods. A retrospective analysis of student test scores in a summative assessment (main examination) was performed across two cohort years (2019 and 2020) during which students were not administered and administered a formative mock exam, respectively. Central tendency and comparative analysis measures were performed to assess differences in student performance.Results. Out of 237 students enrolled, 221 students participated in the optional mock exam, and all 237 students participated in the main examination, with average scores for the mock examination and the main examination being 67% and 94%, respectively. Ninety-two students who received a grade C or better on their mock examination had a main examination average score (98%) that was significantly higher than those who received a D or F (n=129, main average score of 92%). Further, the average score in the 2020 examination was significantly higher when compared to the 2019 examination when no mock examination was offered (94% vs 77%, respectively).Conclusion. This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study to understand the differences in student performance in a summative assessment across two cohort years with and without a formative mock assessment. The results demonstrate that the formative mock examination was correlated with better performance among students but did not establish a causal relationship.