Colberg Anders Barli, Vatn Daniel, Standal Rune, Radtke Maria, Slørdahl Tobias S
Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen. 2017 Oct 30;137(20). doi: 10.4045/tidsskr.17.0025. Print 2017 Oct 31.
The study programme in medicine at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) holds written examinations once annually. The limit to achieving a pass grade is at least 65 % correct answers. The failure rate varies from one year to the next. Our hypothesis was that the variations in the failure rate were caused by a varying degree of difficulty in the examination questions. We investigated whether relative standard-setting methods would reduce the variation in the failure rate without lowering the average limit for a pass grade.
Cohen’s relative standard-setting methods correct for the degree of difficulty in the examination questions. They are easy to apply and provide an alternative to setting an absolute limit of 65 % for a pass grade. We used data from 34 examinations for medical studies at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) from the period 2010–2015 and compared the failure rates estimated using the existing assessment method with those produced by Cohen’s methods.
Using the existing 65 % limit for a pass grade, the failure rate varied from 0 % to 13.7 %, with a falling rate at later stages of the studies. With the exception of the examination held in the first year of study, the failure rate was lower and there was less variation in the failure rate with the original as well as the modified Cohen method when compared to the existing method. One of the Cohen methods resulted in a failure rate of 0 % to 10.4 %
In our data material, an absolute limit of 65 % for a pass grade can be defended because the failure rate was generally low. Cohen’s methods could be an alternative in medical schools that have a high failure rate or where there are major variations in the failure rate from one year to the next in the same examination in the course of study.
挪威科技大学（NTNU）的医学专业课程每年举行一次书面考试。及格分数的下限是至少65%的正确答案。不及格率每年都有所不同。我们的假设是，不及格率的变化是由考试问题的难度不同所致。我们研究了相对标准设定方法是否会在不降低及格分数平均下限的情况下减少不及格率的变化。
科恩的相对标准设定方法可校正考试问题的难度。它们易于应用，并为设定65%的及格分数绝对下限提供了一种替代方法。我们使用了2010 - 2015年期间挪威科技大学（NTNU）医学研究的34次考试数据，并将使用现有评估方法估计的不及格率与科恩方法得出的不及格率进行了比较。
使用现有的65%及格分数下限，不及格率从0%到13.7%不等，在学习后期呈下降趋势。与现有方法相比，除了第一年学习时举行的考试外，原始以及修改后的科恩方法得出的不及格率更低，且不及格率的变化更小。科恩的一种方法得出的不及格率为0%至10.4%。
在我们的数据材料中，65%的及格分数绝对下限是合理的，因为不及格率总体较低。对于不及格率高或在学习过程中同一次考试的不及格率逐年有较大变化的医学院校，科恩的方法可能是一种替代方法。
