Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: The evaluation of students is an important part of any educational process and it is necessary to assess their performance. As a part of feedback for teaching process, it also helps improve the performance. We compared results of conventional viva, structured viva and theory examination. Aims &
Objective: To evaluate the relative contributions of the conventional and structured viva in student assessment.
Materials and Methods: Haematology & clinical pathology table viva were taken for the 2nd MBBS students in GAIMS, Bhuj, Gujarat, by both structured and unstructured pattern. The specific pattern of the structured and unstructured viva was formulated and results compared. The students were also asked the reviews on the viva examinations to assess the acceptability of the students.
Results: There was highly significant correlation (p < 0.01, r=0.52) between results of structured viva and multiple choice questions. Correlation between results of structured viva with remaining theory examination was weaker. Marks of unstructured viva correlated poorly with structured viva, and multiple choice questions. Conclusion: Structured viva examination correlated better with other formats of examination than conventional viva examination.