Online re-examination of postgraduate medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Abstract Background Postgraduate entrance examination (the Unified National Graduate Entrance Examination) is the major way for Chinese medical undergraduate student to apply for postgraduate studies. It consists of two stages: the preliminary basic written test and the re-examination in form of both written tests and interviews. With the spread of COVID-19, the traditional on-site re-examination of postgraduates must be changed to online re-examination. By comparing the re-examination process and admission results of online and on-site re-examination, we studied the feasibility of online re-examination for postgraduates and measures to improve it. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study using data from the Unified National Graduate Entrance Examination. Our sample population was the applicants to Peking University Third Hospital (PUTH) who completed re-examinations. In total, 281 records were successively selected from March 2017 to May 2020. By comparing the re-examination process and admission results of the 2020 online re-examination with those of the 2017-2019 on-site re-examinations, we analyzed the process, difficulties and improvement of online re-examination. Results A total of 281 subjects were included, of whom 77.9% completed an on-site re-examination in 2017-2019 and 22.1% completed the 2020 online re-examination. In the on-site re-examinations, 70.8% of the students were admitted, and in the online re-examination, 74.2% of the students were admitted. There were no significant differences between the students who completed on-site and online re-examinations in terms of gender, recent graduation, cultivation type, graduate from a key university, and admission (P>0.05). The on-site and online re-examination results were very similar among the admitted students. The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that online re-examination had no effect on student admissions. Students seeking professional degree were less likely to be admitted than those seeking academic degree, and those with a better standardized rank in medicine and a better standardized rank of re-examination score were more likely to be admitted. Conclusions The online re-examination implemented in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic achieved the same selective effect as on-site re-examination. Effective time management, a standardized test question template, well-trained staff and effective technology are the keys to success.