IS TEST SECURITY A CONCERN WHEN OSCE STATIONS ARE REPEATED ACROSS CLERKSHIP ROTATIONS

Purpose. To examine the issue of test security when the same stations on an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) are repeated ac ross clerkship rotations. Specifically, is there a significant differe nce in students' scores on stations repeated in three or four rotation s within a single academic year?Method. The sample consisted of 15 sta tions in the OSCE given at the end of the third-year surgery clerkship at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine from 1989-90 t hrough 1993-94. Each station was administered three or four times a ye ar. One-way analyses of variance with contrast coding to test for line ar trends were used. Results were considered significant at or below t he .05 level. Results. Only three of the 15 stations showed significan t linear trends. A two-part coupler orthopedic station showed a signif icant decreasing linear trend (p=.0001). Two stations showed significa nt increasing linear trends: a general surgery coupler station (p=.000 4) and a plastic surgery station with an essay question (p=.0253). Con clusion. There was no consistent evidence that students scored increas ingly higher on OSCE stations repeated throughout the year. Thus, it w ould appear that a clerkship can repeat OSCE stations within an academ ic year without risk of a trend toward increasing scores.