Evaluation of Community Medicine Postgraduate Theory Examination to Measure the Content and Cognitive Domain CoverageA Retrospective Analysis

Abstract

Introduction: Assessment is a critical step in learning process. Postgraduate theory examination ideally should assess higher levels of cognition. In order to maintain high standard of public health the postgraduates of the specialty should be certified properly using the appropriate assessment methods. Since the assessment drives learning, ideally it should be aimed at judging a learner’s attainment of curriculum outcomes. Aim: To evaluate the postgraduate theory exam question papers from 2014 to 2018 in Community Medicine (CM) of various South Indian Universities and to measure the actual content coverage as stated in National Medical Commission (NMC) curriculum and cognitive domain coverage as per Bloom’s taxonomy. Materials and Methods: The present retrospective analytical study was conducted from April 2019 to July 2019 to asses the question papers from 2014-2018 in community medicine. Sixty theory exam question papers (20 per University) of last 5 years of three South Indian Universities namely Pondicherry (PU), Tamil Nadu (TN), and Kerala (KR) of CM subject were analysed for content coverage and to categorise the level of knowledge assessed as per Bloom’s taxonomy. The significance of difference between the data of various years was tested using Chi-square test. Results: Questions testing higher cognitive domain was found only in 15%, 3.75% and 2.5% of PU, TN and KR universities, respectively. Epidemiology of communicable and noncommunicable diseases was the content that received maximum coverage of total marks, 25%, 21.25% and 18.5% in PU, TN and KR universities respectively. Certain topics were not covered in many papers. There was no statistical difference in distribution of marks among various Universities in South India. Conclusion: Findings of this study may be used to redefine the distribution of contents and cognitive domain tested across universities ensuring the validity and reliability of the assessment.