Clerkship Exam & Video OSCE

The clerkship exam is 120 multiple-choice questions. The exam is composed of questions from the Association of Directors of Medical Educators in Psychiatry (ADMSEP) question bank.

On the day prior to the exam there will be a video OSCE. You will watch a 30-minute video of a patient interview and you will then have 120 minutes to do a write up on a form that will be provided.

The Clerkship Coordinator is in charge of administrating and proctoring the exam. Maintaining the integrity of the exam and the testing conditions are of the utmost importance. Student cooperation with the Clerkship Coordinator is essential. Any reported irregularities will be treated seriously.

Exam Preparation

What is the question format?

Exam questions are written in the USMLE format which is a descriptive vignette and a question followed by 5 single answer choices.  During the 2011-12 academic year the question bank was audited and many questions were identified to be revised or rewritten so the questions would be aligned with the USMLE format.  As of 7/12 the vast majority of this work has been done so that less than 5% of the questions need some work to meet the USMLE format. 

What do the questions ask?

Here are the areas the questions target along with a couple of the more commonly used lead-ins for each type of question: 

1.       Applying Scientific Concepts        

            Which of the following is the most likely explanation for this patient's condition?

2.       History & Physical Examination

Which of the following factors in the patient's history most increased this patient's risk for developing his/her condition?

            Specific additional history should be obtained regarding which of the following?

3.       Laboratory & Diagnostic Studies

            Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in evaluation?

            Which of the following follow up studies is most appropriate to order?

4.       Diagnosis

            Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?

5.       Prognosis

Which of the following factors in the patient's history most strongly indicates a good/poor prognosis?

            Which of the following is the most likely clinical course for this patient?

            The patient should be counseled regarding which of the following?

6.       Clinical Interventions

            Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?

            Which of the following is the priority in management?

7.       Pharmacotherapy

            Which of the following is the most appropriate pharmacotherapy at this time?

The most likely cause of this patient's condition is a drug-drug interaction with which of the following?

            Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in pharmacotherapy?

 Which of the following is the most likely complication of the addition of this    medication?

            Which of the following medications is contraindicated in this patient?

8.       Communication

            Which of the following is the most appropriate response?

How are the test questions distributed?

Here is the distribution of the types of questions based on the lead-ins: 

What is the distribution of the questions on the test from the various lectures?

Are the questions written from the lecture objectives?

The goals & objectives for the lectures are in the process of being reviewed and revised.  The intent of this revision is for the test questions to clearly emanate from the various written goals and objectives.  It is a large task but steady progress is being made. 

As of 7/12 the goals & objectives of the following lectures have been revised:

• Anxiety disorders 

• Depression

• Eating Disorders

• Personality disorders

• Schizophrenia

• Somatoform Disorders

• Substance

Please note the pharmacology objectives that are within some individual lecture objective sets.

Previous