FINAL EXAMINATION FOR THE FELLOWSHIP (CLINICAL RADIOLOGY) GUIDELINES FOR SETTING MCOs

This checklist is a clarification of requirements for the setting of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), including definitions of terms and other points raised by Regional Panels and Examiners. It should be used in conjunction with the more detailed guidance notes provided. Awareness of certain fundamental principles is essential for the production of good MCQs, and proper use of key words improves the acceptability of a question, increasing the likelihood of its incorporation into the Final FRCR Examination, without time-consuming alteration.

  • Questions should be of a standard which may be reasonably answered by a third year specialist registrar. Sources must therefore be standard textbooks (eg Grainger & Allison, Sutton), or papers from mainstream radiological journals (eg Clinical Radiology, BJR, Radiology), when the findings have been recognised as accepted knowledge or practice. Questions based on the results of single papers using little data are unacceptable.

  • A detailed reference must be given for each question to enable later confirmatory checks.

  • Questions with a short stem and short items or a longer stem and short items are preferable. Those with long items are usually poor questions.

  • Use of "can" or "may" invariably demands a "true" response.

  • "Recognised" means "an accepted feature of the disease".

  • "Pathognomonic" means "a feature specific to the disease, and to no other".

  • "Characteristic" means "a feature without which the diagnosis is in question". This term must therefore be used with care.

  • "Typical" - is synonymous with "characteristic".

  • "The majority", "most" or "usually" mean over 50%.

  • Percentages as a specific figure are unacceptable, and should be given as a range eg 30-40%.

  • Vague terms to be avoided - "commonly" and "frequently" mean "often" - itself a non-specific word. Similarly - "rarely".

  • Absolute terms (always, never, invariably) should be avoided.

  • Eponyms should be defined unless in common use (eg Crohn's disease).

  • Avoid double negatives.

  • Male : female incidence ratios are usually pointless items.

  • Please formulate questions with 6 items (a-f) following the stem, to allow a degree of choice at the selection stage.

  • Conveners are asked to send their batch of questions to the Education Secretary by the nominated deadline (usually 4-6 weeks beforehand) to give examiners time to consider questions in detail. Tabling new questions at the meeting itself is unsatisfactory.

John A Fielding 06/12/96


MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION CLASSIFICATIONS


Module 1 - Chest & Cardiovascular

1A Cardiovascular and Interventional Angiography
1B Pulmonary, Pleural and Mediastinal

Module 2 - Musculoskeletal and Soft Tissues

2A Skeletal
2B Trauma

Module 3 - Gastro-intestinal

3A Alimentary
3B Liver, Pancreas, Biliary Tract and Spleen

Module 4 - Genito-urinary. Adrenal, Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Breast

4A Breast
4B Obstetrics & Gynaecology
4C Genito-urinary and Adrenal

Module 5 - Paediatrics

5A Paediatrics

Module 6 - Neuroradiology and Head & Neck

6A Dental
6B Eyes
6C ENT
6D Neuroradiology

LAYOUT OF MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS


[2A] 1 Periosteal new bone formation is a prominent feature in

F (a) primary hyperparathyroidism.
T (b) yaws.
F (c) osteomyelitis of the lower jaw.
T (d) Ewing's sarcoma.
F (e) psoriasis.


[4C] 2 If, in an adult, one kidney measures 9 cm in length and the other 12 cm, the likely diagnoses include

T (a) chronic pyelonephritis.
F (b) chronic glomerulonephritis.
F (c) papillary necrosis.
F (d) acute tubular necrosis.
T (e) renal artery stenosis.

 

  • Double line spacing

  • Include the classification, eg [2A], [4C]

  • Include the correct answers: T=true, F=false

  • Label the questions numerically

  • Label the "items" (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) etc (giving more than five increases the chance of the question being accepted)

  • Paginate so that questions are not split between pages