Background & Objective: The world is facing COVID-19 pandemic, and medical education system and consequently the evaluation of students at different levels have been overshadowed Residency students are among those affected In the present study, we aim to share our experiences regarding holding exams for pathology residents before and during the pandemic Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in Tehran University of Medical Sciences The online exam, which consisted of 30 multiple-choice questions, was designed and held in April 2020 to evaluate pathology residents To assess the quality of the exam, indices such as the number of questions, highest and lowest scores, the average score, the standard deviation, the variance, Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient, standard error of measurement, discrimination index, difficulty index, number/percentage of questions on three difficulty levels of easy, normal, hard were reviewed and analyzed Results and Discussion: The average score of the participants in the January exam which was held in the university’s exam center was 16 23 (±5 03), while the average score in the online exam which was held after the onset of the pandemic was 20 86 (±5 18) The average discrimination indices in the first and second exams were 0 36 and 0 38, respectively, and the average difficulty indices in the first and second exams were 0 54 and 0 70, respectively We found the administration of this online examination would be a positive experience By sharing it, we hope to pave the way for similar ventures in the other departments © 2021, Iranian Society of Pathology All rights reserved
Online assessment for pathology residents during the COVID-19 pandemic: Report of an experience