Study of American Board of Psychiatry certification examinations over a
2-year period revealed differences between audiovisual and "live patient"
interview grades. Of 2,236 psychiatrists examined in psychiatry, 1,367
(61%) received concordant scores on their audiovisual and "live patient"
examination hours and 1,165 (52%) received identical grades. Agreement
about pass/fail decisions was even higher (80%). Where scores were not
identical, two out of three candidates scored higher on the audiovisual
section, prompting the conclusion that the two examination formats may test
somewhat different skills or carry a different weight in the judgment of
most examiners. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that these
differences must continue to be tested for.
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