The Progress Test is a multiple choice question paper consisting of 125 questions, which requires the selection of a single best answer from five possibilities. Negative marking is not used, an incorrect answer will simply be awarded a mark of zero. Two and a half hours are allowed for the paper, including the completion of the answer sheet.
In Years 3 and 4, the Summer Progress Test has an additional 50 questions that assess content related to your online cases, themed case discussions (TCDs) and other teaching & learning sessions including Secondary Component Teaching (SCT) sessions. Although for logistical reasons, students sit the additional 50 questions as a separate paper the day after the main Progress Test. Their grade is determined from their performance on the total 175 questions.
Please note: for students on the GEM Programme, the Year 3 Summer PT will also have (in addition to the main PT and extra Y3 specific 50 questions) a third paper (taken at the end of the GEM Block) which has 50 questions specific to content covered during the GEM block . The total score of 225 questions will be used to determine the Summer Progress Test score and grade for GEM students.
The paper contains questions which sample the core knowledge that you have acquired during your studies and it also contains questions about things that you may not have come across so far. Years 3 and 4 are organised around core content that is underpinned by the curriculum in Years 1 and 2 or GEM year + the GEM Block. This core content forms the basis of the blueprint of the progress test.
Do not worry if you cannot answer many of the questions at first, it will help you to see the extent of the studies that lie ahead of you.
The same Progress Test paper is taken by every student studying within the MBChB (GEM) & MBChB (5yr) pathways (with the Winter PT in Year 5 being purely formative). The advantages of this type of test are:
- After each sitting, you can measure your progress in acquiring the core of knowledge needed by the time of your Final Examinations and graduation.
- It discourages a ‘pass and forget’ mentality – all the knowledge is important and is tested/retested every year.
- Because it tests all the different subjects/systems/sciences, there is little to be gained by trying to cram for it – the examination assesses what you have learnt in your day-to-day studies.
Because of these advantages, more and more medical schools are now using a Progress Test to assess their students. Analysis of students’ performance demonstrates that our students do make progress from year to year.
Setting the Progress Test Pass Mark
When setting examination papers, some Progress Test questions will inevitably be more difficult than others. We use well-established measures to correct for this and ensure fairness for all students.
For Year 1 MBChB Students:
Similar to the Semester Tests in Years 1 & 2, the pass mark for the Progress Test is calculated using an approach called the modified Cohen method. In this approach, the pass mark is determined using a multiplier of the 90th percentile student score as follows:
- Year 1: The pass mark will be equal to 0.5 x the 90th percentile score.
- Year 2 and year 3: The pass mark will be equal to 0.55 x the 90th percentile score.
- Year 4: The pass mark will be equal to 0.6 x the 90th percentile score.
For GEM Students:
As GEM students are undertaking an initially different pathway compared with the standard MBChB students, and they are in a much smaller cohort size, we have to use a different mechanism to derive the pass mark for their Progress Tests. We therefore will use scores determined from the main MBChB cohort as follows:
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- GEM Year Jan PT: The pass mark will be equal to 0.50 x the 90th percentile score of the combined 5Y-MBChB Year 1 & GEM Yr 1 cohort.
- GEM Year May PT: The pass mark will be equal to 0.50 x the 90th percentile score of the combined 5Y-MBChB Year 2 & GEM Yr 2 cohort .
- Yr 3 MBChB – GEM cohort Jan PT: the pass mark will be equal to 0.50 x the 90th percentile score of the combined 5Y-MBChB & GEM Yr 3 cohort.
- Yr 3 MBChB – GEM Cohort May PT : The pass mark will be equal to 0.55 x the 90th percentile score of the combined 5Y-MBChB & GEM Yr 3 cohort.
- Yr 4 MBChB – GEM Cohort May PT : The pass mark will be equal to 0.60 x the 90th percentile score of the combined 5Y-MBChB & GEM Yr 4 cohort.
For both cohorts, we then use these pass marks to create the grade boundaries as follows:
| Distinction | > | 2 SDs above mean |
| Honours | > | 1 SD above mean |
| Satisfactory | > | Midway of Cohen-derived pass mark and Mean |
| Low Pass | > | Cohen-derived pass mark |
| Unsatisfactory | < | Cohen-derived pass mark |
The difference between your individual PT grade and your cumulative PT grade
On each result letter, you will be provided with the grade you attained for the PT, sat along with what is called your cumulative PT grade.
Your cumulative PT Grade is worked out by combining the results of the most recent Progress Test with your most recent cumulative grade, weighted so that the most recent test has the greatest impact, to give the new cumulative grade.
The table below summarises the method for calculation of cumulative Progress Test results:
| Previous Cumulative Progress Test Result | Latest Individual Progress Test Result | New Cumulative Progress Test Result |
| Unsatisfactory | Unsatisfactory | Unsatisfactory |
| Low Pass | Unsatisfactory | Unsatisfactory |
| Satisfactory / Honours / Distinction | Unsatisfactory | Low Pass |
| Unsatisfactory | Low Pass | Low Pass |
| Low Pass | Low Pass | Low Pass |
| Satisfactory / Honours / Distinction | Low Pass | Low Pass |
| Unsatisfactory | Satisfactory / Honours / Distinction | Low Pass |
| Low Pass | Satisfactory / Honours / Distinction | Satisfactory |
| Satisfactory / Honours / Distinction | Satisfactory / Honours / Distinction | Satisfactory |
*Please note that students who have entered directly into Year 3 should use the column Previous Cumulative Progress Test Result to map their first Progress Test result in Year 3.
How does my PT result affect my progression on the MBChB programme?
An individual Unsatisfactory PT result will not impede your progression onto the next part of the Programme provided that you have passed all other elements of that year and there are no unresolved concerns about your attitude, work and attendance. Depending on your prior cumulative PT grade, this may also result in you attaining a cumulative Unsatisfactory PT grade.
A student who attains two consecutive cumulative Unsatisfactory grades will be withdrawn from the Programme. Therefore, a student who is carrying a cumulative PT grade of Unsatisfactory must pass their next PT (and thus avoid being awarded their second cumulative Unsatisfactory grade) in order to remain on the programme.
In Years 3 and Year 4, students must also achieve a Low Pass grade or above in at least one of the two Progress Tests in that year in order to progress on to the next year of study. Please see the Progression section of this Handbook for more details on your year of study.