Progress test
The progress test, which is used in medical education around the world, has now also been introduced at the University of Turku. The progress test, which was piloted in autumn 2021, has been well received by both students and teachers.
Progress test is a multiple-choice test two or three times a semester, which tests the level of medical knowledge a medical student has accumulated up to that point. It allows each student to use the results to self-monitor their progress in accumulating medical knowledge as a whole and by discipline as they progress through their studies. Students can compare their results with both the indicators for their year group and the national indicators. The main purpose of the progress test is to support deep learning and to develop the student's ability to critically examine his/her own knowledge and skills as a doctor.
The knowledge test is a formative test and is taken by all medical students from the first to the sixth year. A student's performance on the test therefore has no bearing on their progress in their studies. The test is nationwide. The test contained 178 multiple-choice questions in 26 subjects. The questions were developed in collaboration with the participants in the piloting of the test.
The test has been carried out in Tampere since the 1990s, but at the request of student organisations, it has now been piloted in Turku, Kuopio and Oulu. The national implementation of the test was carried out by the MEDigi project's Examination Practices and Assessment of Examination Knowledge Unit. The first pilot was successfully implemented in October 2021. During the pilot phase, the test was not compulsory for students in Turku, Eastern Finland and Oulu, while in Tampere the test is already well established.
The test was implemented as an unsupervised Moodle exam. In Turku, the test was a great success, both technically, in terms of the number of students and in terms of the students' results. The intention is to make the activity permanent.
