Progress testing: evaluation of four years of application in the school of medicine, University of São Paulo.
BACKGROUND
Progress testing is a longitudinal tool for evaluating knowledge gains during the medical school years.


OBJECTIVE
(1) To implement progress testing as a form of routine evaluation; (2) to verify whether cognitive gain is a continuous variable or not; and (3) to evaluate whether there is loss of knowledge relating to basic sciences in the final years of medical school.


METHODS
A progress test was applied twice a year to all students from 2001 to 2004. The mean percentage score was calculated for each school year, employing ANOVA with post hoc Bonferroni test evaluation for each test.


RESULTS
Progress testing was implemented as a routine procedure over these 4 years. The results suggest a cognitive gain from first to sixth year in all eight tests, as a continuum (P for trend < .0001). Gain was found to be continuous for basic sciences (taught during the first 2 years), clinical sciences (P < .0001), and clerkship rotation (P < .0001). There was no difference between the performance of men and women.


CONCLUSIONS
Progress testing was implemented as a routine, applied twice a year. Data suggest that cognitive gain during medical training appears to be a continuum, even for basic science issues.
Tomic
Eliane R
ER
Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital das Clínicas, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, Brazil.
Martins
Milton A
MA
Lotufo
Paulo A
PA
Benseñor
Isabela M
IM
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001938:Brazil; D003071:Cognition; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000592:standards*; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D013663:Teaching / Q000592:standards*; D013997:Time Factors