This complete enumeration, cross-sectional comparative study was conducted to compare the scores obtained by students in traditional practical examination with that obtained in objective structured practical examination in Osteology, which is a "must know" component of the first-year MBBS curriculum in Anatomy. After obtaining permissions from the Institutional Ethics Committee and institutional authorities for conducting the study, first-year MBBS students were oriented about the purpose of the study, the objective structured practical examination procedure, the checklist based marking system and their written informed consent was obtained. The maximum marks obtainable in both traditional practical examination and objective structured practical examination were 10 marks each. A total of 55 (27 females; 49.09% and 28 males; 51.91%) first-year MBBS students participated in the study. The students obtained higher scores in objective structured practical examination, as compared that in traditional practical examination. The male students had a higher maximum score in traditional practical examination but the gender difference in scores was not significant either for traditional practical examination (p=0.054) or for objective structured practical examination (p=0.934). Students obtaining relatively lower scores would require remedial training. A larger study would be necessary in order to generalize the results.
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