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Prior to the implementation of TEbMP Stage 1 - Basic vocabulary, grammar and usage - in late 2006, questions from the question bank were piloted with first year health sciences students at three post-secondary institutions in Japan. A total of 150 questions, divided into three separate tests, were piloted with students of medicine, medical technology, nursing, occupational therapy and physiotherapy. All questions were muliple choice, and tested vocabulary (from TEbMP Word List 1.0), grammar and usage. Each version of the pilot test used four different formats of multiple choice question:
- Matching a selection of 4 Japanese words or phrases with English equivalents from among a list of 6 English words or phrases,
- For a single Japanese word, choosing the one correct English equivalent from among 5 choices,
- Completing an English definition by selecting the correct term from among 4 choices,
- From among a list of 5 words or phrases, selecting the most appropriate choice to complete a "conversational" sentence.
Hence, formats 1 and 2 tested recognition of English words and phrases. Format 3 tested recall and reading comprehension. Format 4 primarily tested knowledge of grammar and usage. Each of the 150 questions was tested on several hundred students, and the results have been analyzed to rate each question in terms of difficulty and sensitivity. The results of this pilot process are being used to guide the design of additional items for the question bank.
Click on the link below to try your luck with a mock version of TEbMP 1. In this mock exam, questions 1 to 10 are multiple choice. For questions 11 to 20, you have to type in the correct word or words. The computer will accept "American" or "English" spelling. Have some fun - give it a try! http://www.quia.com/tq/473337.html Subsequently, TEbMP 1 and TEbMP 2 -the test of reading comprehension - have been piloted with cohorts of Australian, Chinese, Japanese and Malaysian health sciences students. The reading test questions were derived from articles (overviews and commentaries) in health profession journals published in the previous 5 years, and therefore reflect current usage. All piloted questions followed a multiple choice format. These questions have been analyzed for difficulty and sensitivity, and this information is being used to guide the development of additional questions. |
In 2007, TEbMP 3 - the test of written composition - was piloted with cohorts in Malaysia and Japan. Results have been analyzed to determine which aspects of writing distinguish between more and less competent writers.
Results of all of these exercises were presented at the 6th Asian Pacific Conference on Problem Based Learning (Tokyo, 2006) and the International Medical Education Conference (Kuala Lumpur, 2007).
In 2008, TEbMP was administered in Australia, Japan and Malaysia. We now have a very large question bank of validated and reliable test items which could be used for general assessment and high-risk examinations such as entrance, graduation and licensure. Please contact us if you think you would like to contribute to this project.
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