Narrative synthesis: three studies found no significant exam-score difference between OBEs and CBEs, with differences emerging only under specific conditions¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · quant-synthesis r1–r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2025 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Three of the eight reviewed studies reported no significant difference in exam scores between OBE and CBE conditions. → Mizori R 2025 q2 i? Performance differences emerged in some studies only under specific conditions such as question type or exam format changes. → Mizori R 2025 (2)

Evidence¶

Mizori R 2025¶

Mizori R, Sadiq M, Ahmad MT, Siu A, Ahmad RR, Yang Z, et al. (2025). STEM exam performance: Open‐ versus closed‐book methods in the large language model era. The Clinical Teacher. https://doi.org/10.1111/tct.13839

q2 · i? · quant-synthesis · r2

Narrative synthesis section of the systematic review of eight studies. The review reports "Three studies reported no significant difference in exam scores"; no effect sizes are printed for these null findings.

"Mixed results were found regarding the impact of OBE on performance compared to CBE. Three studies reported no significant difference in exam scores."

Mizori R 2025 (2)¶

Mizori R, Sadiq M, Ahmad MT, Siu A, Ahmad RR, Yang Z, et al. (2025). STEM exam performance: Open‐ versus closed‐book methods in the large language model era. The Clinical Teacher. https://doi.org/10.1111/tct.13839

q2 · i? · quant-synthesis · r1

Same narrative synthesis. The review attributes conditional differences to "the type of questions or exam format changes", without printing effect sizes or test statistics.

"However, differences in performance did emerge in some studies under specific conditions, such as the type of questions or exam format changes."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Meta-analysis shows open-book exams yield higher STEM exam scores than closed-book exams, with an overall mean difference of 5.91 despite very high heterogeneity — reports the opposite
• Sub-group analysis: observational studies show a larger OBE advantage (MD 6.89) than quasi-experimental studies (MD 3.79), with no statistically significant difference between designs — related
• The authors argue that LLMs such as GPT-3 threaten OBE validity by enabling answers without deep understanding, particularly in unproctored settings — related
• Students prefer open-book exams, citing reduced stress and less intrusive oversight, and OBEs offer institutions logistical advantages — related