VSAQ assessments demonstrate strong discriminatory power between high- and low-performing students¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · quant-synthesis r1 · q3
Currency · newest study 2026 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · recheck by 2029: tool and model accuracy changes quickly

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Meta-analysis of discrimination indices yielded a pooled Fisher's z of 1.45 (95% CI [1.21, 1.69]), indicating strong discriminatory power, though with high heterogeneity (I2 = 95%). → Sher Ali 2026

Evidence¶

Sher Ali 2026¶

Sher Ali, Arshad Muhammad Moin Ud Din, Abbas Mesum, Asghar Abdul Hannan, Khan Anees Hussain, Ali Junaid, Yaqoob Muhammad Ibrahim, Alam Rana Aftab, Akram Muhammad Bilal, Masood Muhammad Abdullah, Thakur Amit Kumar. (2026). Very short answer questions vs. multiple choice questions in health professions education: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-026-09359-5

q3 · i? · quant-synthesis · r1

Meta-analysis of Fisher's z-transformed discrimination indices across 12 data points. The pooled estimate of 1.45 was statistically significant, though "high heterogeneity was observed (I2 = 95%)".

"The meta-analysis of discrimination indices (Fisher’s z-transformed) across 12 data points yielded a pooled estimate of 1.45 (95% CI [1.21, 1.69]). This result was statistically significant (Z = 11.69, p < 0.00001), suggesting that the assessments included in the review generally demonstrated strong discriminatory power"

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• VSAQ assessments maintain acceptable internal consistency (reliability) — related
• After excluding the Dhok et al. (2023) outlier, students score significantly lower on VSAQs than MCQs — related
• Initial pooled analysis shows no statistically significant difference between VSAQ and MCQ scores but with extreme heterogeneity — related