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COMLEX Level 2-PE Performance Differences between Left-handed and Right-handed Candidates

Journal: The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association Date: 2010/08, 110(8):Pages: 480. doi: Subito , type of study: retrospective study

Full text    (https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.7556/jaoa.2010.110.8.445/html)

Keywords:

exams [14]
handedness [1]
medical students [448]
osteopathic medicine [1631]
retrospective study [231]
USA [1166]

Abstract:

Background: The assessment of written communication is an important component of the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination Level 2-Performance Evaluation (COMLEX Level 2-PE). Handedness, more specifically inconsistent handedness, has been shown to have complex relationships with verbal, non-verbal, mathematical, memory and reasoning ability (Corballis MC, Hattie J, Fletcher R. Handedness and intellectual achievement: an even-handed look. neuropsychologia. 2008;46[1]:374-378). Handedness may therefore have an effect on COMLEX Level 2-PE pass rates. Hypothesis: Starting as an interesting observation noted by the examination proctors, we hypothesized that COMLEX Level 2-PE pass rates would be equal for left-handed and right-handed candidates. Methods: For the 4698 candidates who took the examination during the 2007-2008 testing cycle, proctors identified and recorded which candidates wrote with their left hands while completing their postencounter SOAP Notes. Based on these candidate ID numbers recorded by the proctors, candidates were divided into two groups: left-handed and right-handed. An independent samples t test was then conducted to compare the mean pass rates of right-handed and left-handed candidates for each of the following: the overall clinical skills examination, the Humanistic Domain, and the Biomedical/Biomechanical Domain. Results: Proctors identified 444 candidates who were left-handed (9.5% of all candidates). For overall pass rate, there was no significant difference between right-handed (94.2%) and left-handed (92.8%) candidates, t(521.60)=1.076, P=.282. For the Humanistic Domain pass rate, there was no significant difference between right-handed (96.3%) and left-handed (96.2%) candidates, t(4696)=.147, P=.883. For the Biomedical/Biomechanical Domain pass rate, there was no significant difference between right-handed (97.0%) and left-handed (95.9%) candidates, t(514.62)=1.074, P=.283. Conclusion: We did not investigate inconsistent handedness (ambidexterity) or mixed-handedness (ie, throwing with right hand, but writing with the left). However, we observed that candidate handedness while writing SOAP Notes did not have a significant effect on the Humanistic Domain, Biomedical/Biomechanical Domain, or overall COMLEX Level 2-PE pass rates.


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