Analytic Interpretation of Multiple Choice Questions in Embryology among Students in The College of Medicine, University of Mosul

Background: Many methods are used to perform tests for students, but the best are those that achieve the highest level of deep and high learning for students and ease of analysis. One of the most important testing methods is multiple-choice questions (MCQs).
Aim: To analyze the multiple-choice questions in embryology subject for the students of the second class in the College of Medicine, University of Mosul, Iraq.
Methods: The multiple-choice method was used to conduct the final exam (first attempt/2022) for the embryology subject for second-year students at the College of Medicine in Mosul (697 students). The results were analyzed prospectively through a non-interventional observational study. The test included 100 multiple-choice tests, so each question had five choices (four wrong choices were used as distractions because they were close).
Results: Two tools are used to analyze each multiple-choice question: Difficulty Index and Discrimination Index. About 52 (52.0%) out of 100 multiple-choice questions were average (between 41-60), while about 46 (46.0%) were moderately easy (more than 61-80). About 2 (2.0%) were moderately difficult (between 21-40(. In contrast, about 10 (10%) items were within acceptable values (0.2-0.29), while about 0 (0%) items were considered good (0.3-0.4), and about 0 (0%) were excellent (more than 0.4), about 1(%) was within the false zone (less than 0). The weak category (0-0.19) was seen in 89 (8.9%) students.
Conclusion: The test must use the Medium Difficulty Index and Good Discrimination Index items. Such an analysis could improve the quality of examinations in medical schools and review weak questions through the Discrimination index.