Should we be afraid of open book exams? Our experience

Abstract

This study reports our first experience introducing open-book exams in the Anatomy subject at a medical school. Students were authorized to bring study material to the exam and consult books, atlases and their own notes. Our objective was to check whether the test scores were significantly higher or lower compared to the rote tests taken before it. After statistical analysis, there are no differences in the mean, median, range, minimum score, or maximum score. These results are consistent with the consulted bibliography. We can conclude that there is no need to be afraid of implementing this type of exam in the future.