Abstract
Considerable stress is associated with undergraduate examinations. Traditional medical schools appear to regard such stress as inevitable and expect students to cope with their anxieties. The Newcastle medical school decided to develop curricular strategies for preventing (or at least reducing) such anxieties, rather than adopt medical or psychological treatment methods for students who subsequently appear unable to cope. Students and staff recommended changes to the original assessment programme after it had operated for four terms. This article reviews the changes and reports on students' greater satisfaction with them and the Newcastle medical school's attitude towards programme improvement. Suggestions are made for a more open, educational approach to student assessment by other learning institutions.
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Feletti, G.I., Neame, R.L.B. Curricular strategies for reducing examination anxiety. High Educ 10, 675–686 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01676864
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01676864