Assessment of knowledge retention ability of undergraduate medical students

Background: Being a natural phenomenon, the knowledge learned by students is quickly forgotten. However, various factors are pertinent for one's memory and knowledge retention ability. This ability is not investigated earlier among pass and fail students of a particular exam

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Objectives: To determine and compare short term memory and Knowledge retention ability among pass and fail students of mid-term exam

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Methods: 103 first-year MBBS students were examined in 3 cycles after result of mid-term examination announced. These cycles consisted of 2 components related with short term memory [1[st] and 2[nd] cycles] and knowledge retention ability [3[rd] cycle] with one week duration apart

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Results: Class attendance of pass, fail and absentees groups demonstrated statistically significant [P<0.0005] difference among them being in the order of pass> fail > absentees and significant correlation with marks obtained. A comparison between short term memory and knowledge retention ability also demonstrated statistically significant [P<0.0005] difference

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Conclusion: The quality of learning positively correlates with the class attendance. Short term memory and knowledge retention abilities are significantly better in pass students and statistically correlate with each other. Regular conduct of such tests is suggested to assess short term memory and knowledge retention ability so that appropriate methods to enhance these can be adopted