The scores for the PAEA End of Rotation exams will be reported as scale scores rather than as the number correct. Scale scores are scores that have been mathematically transformed from one set of numbers (i.e., the raw score) to another set of numbers (i.e., the scale score), in order to make them more comparable. Doing so allows for a single performance report per specialty exam. The primary benefit of scale scores is that it allows all scores on all versions and forms of the End of Rotation exams to be comparable across years and cohorts because they all use the same scale metric. While many theories can be used to determine scale scores, PAEA chose linear transformation of item response theory modeling.
Using the number correct score for fair comparisons of students’ performance on different forms of the same test is not ideal — the forms have different questions that may be slightly more or less difficult. To make consistent and fair decisions based on assessment results, the scores reported from different forms need to be comparable. As such, reporting scores using a scale score rather than a number correct score allows PA programs to do this more accurately. When looking at any individual specialty exam (i.e., Family Medicine or General Surgery), scores from forms within the same year and across years are comparable because they are reported on the same metric.
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