ISSN : 1301-5680
e-ISSN : 2149-8156
Turkish Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery     
Item analyses of 2016 written exam of Turkish Society of Cardiovascular Surgery Proficiency Board
Hatice Şahin1, Yüksel Atay2, Tahir Yağdı2, Serap Aykut Aka3
1Ege Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Tıp Eğitimi Anabilim Dalı, İzmir, Türkiye
2Ege Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Kalp ve Damar Cerrahisi Anabilim Dalı, İzmir, Türkiye
3Dr. Siyami Ersek Göğüs Kalp ve Damar Cerrahisi Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Kalp ve Damar Cerrahisi Kliniği, İstanbul, Türkiye
DOI : 10.5606/tgkdc.dergisi.2017.14513
Background: This study aims to evaluate the item analyses of the 2016 written exam of Turkish Society of Cardiovascular Surgery Proficiency Board and conduct yearly comparisons.

Methods: The last of the written exams, which are performed annually, were held in Eskişehir in May 2016. The exam items were analyzed in terms of difficulty, discrimination, and validity.

Results: Correct answer items were distributed equally. The average percentage of questions answered correctly was 70.7%. Of the questions, 56% were answered above the average. Range of exam scores was narrower compared to last year’s exam. According to the item analysis; rate of questions with the desired difficulty level was 39%, rate of questions with the desired discrimination level was 52%, rate of invalid questions was 54%, and rate of questions with high level of validity was 9%. A comparison of the exams of years 2015 and 2016 revealed that the latter exam was easier, had low discrimination, and weaker validity.

Conclusion: According to our findings, subject areas and number of questions in the exam set were effective on the validity of the exam. At least 70% of the questions in the exam set should include the main topics of the specialty and the number of questions should not be changed according to years. With the Proficiency Board forming a question bank and keeping the questions with high validity in the bank, the exam may become more qualified over the years.

Keywords : Board exam; cardiovascular surgery; item analysis
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