What do you do with your MEQ and CEQ exam feedback?

Greetings all, 

It's that time again where unsuccessful candidates examine their feedback from their recent RANZCP MEQ or CEQ attempt. After trying to come to terms with the result, and work out how to be successful at the next attempt, all eyes are on inboxes waiting for feedback that they hope will guide them to prepare for next time. 

Feedback for the MEQ and CEQ exams is indeed generic and of a "Cut and Paste" nature. There is also no guide to how to interpret the feedback. A lot lies on the "Cut Score" and where trainees fit compared to their peers. 

The RANZCP letter containing feedback states;

The following page presents your result by question content. Your performance is also represented graphically. It is intended that this feedback will help you identify areas of strength in question type and by question content, as well as areas which may require further knowledge or experience in order to be able to demonstrate the required standard expected at the end of Stage 3. Examiners do not provide specific feedback on papers, so the Committee for Examinations is unable to offer any further feedback.

My advice always stands that if feedback is not specific to your attempt it should be disregarded. It can fuel fears and mislead you to believe you are not performing in an area when in fact you are. 

I use the following example;

A recently unsuccessful candidate was informed they had scored 100% in the domain of "Assessment" , but 17.5% for "Basic Sciences, Medical Knowledge". It's difficult to understand how one could write about an approach to an assessment, receiving a perfect score without knowing something about medical knowledge. Another domain is defined as "Sociocultural Awareness", a term that really requires a definition, as well as guidance about which question examined this domain. 

Without this critical information, it really is best to disregard the feedback. As hard as it is to do, trainees who are unsuccessful need to focus on what they do know, and how capable they actually are.

Being unsuccessful in any exam delivers a huge blow to anybody's confidence. The last thing you need is to add to the lack of confidence by falsely applying feedback about domains such as "Advocacy" and "Philosphy". 

The cut score is a measure that the RANZCP use to demonstrate where candidates lie according to their peers. Again this score is not defined. It is described in increments of 0.1, displaying a range from 0.0 to 1.5. Successful trainees are given a graph depicting a score above 1.0, unsuccessful below 1.0.

How far away from the cut score you rank tells you nothing except exactly that. Pass rates are not published, neither is what mark is required to pass. 

The CEQ exam feedback is equally generic. 

It is disappointing that given the effort, fees and high stakes of these critical exams, that less time is spent helping trainees improve for next time. Some trainees are now facing their 5th or above attempt. Despite asking repeatedly for specific feedback they have only the generic feedabc to go by. After coaching trainees for these exams for such a long time, it is is my observation that they are often trying to decipher generic feedback. This has had a detrimental effect on their performance - they undo what they do well, or become almost paralysed to write any words in the exam due to lack of confidence and perceived inability.

I strongly believe that the best way to examine clinical accumen and competence is via a clinical exam. There are inherent tasks embedded inside the essay exams and they include how to write an essay in general, and how to answer a MEQ or CEQ. Both tasks may not come naturally.

Given these trainees work in our health care systems, and are deemed competent and safe enough to be working on call and in busy hospital posts with very unwell patients, it is my belief that the problem for many trainees is not their ability but the misgivings of the written exams. 

Exam technique is crucial for these exams, which seem here to stay for quite some time. Focusing on that with structured guidance, encouragement and constructive feedback assists this. 

Get in touch if you'd like help with your RANZCP MEQ or CEQ essay exam attempt,

All the very best, 

Helen