Feasibility of applying computerized adaptive testing to the Clinical Medical Science Comprehensive Examination in Korea: a psychometric study

This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of transitioning the Clinical Medical Science Comprehensive Examination (CMSCE) to computerized adaptive testing (CAT) in Korea, thereby providing greater opportunities for medical students to accurately compare their clinical competencies with peers nationwide and to monitor their own progress. A medical self-assessment using CAT was conducted from March to June 2023, involving 1,541 medical students who volunteered from 40 medical colleges in Korea. An item bank consisting of 1,145 items from previously administered CMSCE examinations (2019–2021) hosted by the Medical Education Assessment Corporation was established. Items were selected through 2-stage filtering, based on classical test theory (discrimination index above 0.15) and item response theory (discrimination parameter estimates above 0.6 and difficulty parameter estimates between –5 and +5). Maximum Fisher information was employed as the item selection method, and maximum likelihood estimation was used for ability estimation.