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Short answer questions in an undergraduate qualifying examination: a study of examiner variability
Author(s) -
WAKEFORD R. E.,
ROBERTS SARAH
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
medical education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.776
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1365-2923
pISSN - 0308-0110
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2923.1984.tb00999.x
Subject(s) - consistency (knowledge bases) , psychology , rank (graph theory) , scripting language , final examination , medical education , mathematics education , medicine , mathematics , computer science , artificial intelligence , combinatorics , operating system
Summary Scripts of a short answer Final MB examination paper were re‐marked by the original examiner and three colleagues. While individual question marks varied considerably, most examiners agreed quite well as to the overall rank order of candidates—although not about absolute total marks—but a few disagreed considerably. Examiners exhibited remarkably consistent idiosyncratic behaviour in terms of the distribution of marks awarded. These factors led to haphazard pass/fail and pass/distinction decisions on this particular component of the examination. Recommendations are put forward to improve the marking consistency and use of short answer question papers.