Effects of supplemental instruction on mean test scores and failure rates in medical school courses

Purpose. To determine whether supplemental instruction offered to first-year medical students reduces the number of examination failures. Method. A student-run, optional, supplemental-instruction program called the Medical Scholars Program (MSP) was offered at no cost to all first-year students at the University of Southern California School of Medicine in 1994-95. Supplemental instruction was offered in a small-group format in biochemistry, gross anatomy, microanatomy, and physiology. Weekly two-hour sessions were conducted by second-year medical students during the first trimester of the year-1 curriculum. Mean test scores and failure rates for students considered academically at risk and those not at risk were compared between the class entering in 1994 and the classes matriculating during the preceding three years. At-risk students were defined as those with a total Medical College Admission Test score below 26 and a science grade-point average below 3.0. Comparisons were performed using two-tailed t-tests and chi-square tests. Results. Statistically significant increases in mean test scores were achieved on most examinations by the class exposed to the MSP. Failure rates for at-risk students decreased by 46% during the year the MSP was offered. Conclusion. Supplemental instruction can significantly improve student performance and therefore retention, particularly among at-risk students.