Selection of MCQs

In total, two hundred MCQs (100 UCD, 100 NBDE) were evaluated. For setting up MCQs pools from our item bank for the fourth year summative-integrated examination, which contains 4933 approved MCQs, we used the following criteria: (1) MCQs that had been used only one time; (2) 50% of MCQs dated from 2002 to 2009 (pool 1) and 50% from 2010 to 2018 (pool 2) to evaluate the distribution of the cognitive levels of MCQs over the course of time.

Fifty UCD-MCQs from each pool were selected using a random number generator. Using these particular questions, we wanted to determine if we are able to develop high levels of MCQs for our students to further examine their critical and analytical thinking skills.

100 of the 200 NBDE Part II questions were chosen randomly from the officially released item test package dating approximately from 2000 to 2008. A request to the American Dental Association for questions from 2009 to 2018 for study purposes was not honoured, and the questions have not been provided. Therefore, we were just able to analyse 100 MCQs of NBDE and compared with our 50 MCQs from year 2002 to 2009.