(291) Impact of Virtual and In-Person Mock Assessments on Student Performance in a Pharmacy Calculation Course

Objective : A pharmacy calculation course in an accelerated PharmD program incorporated mock assessments to facilitate formative learning and promote student performance through the simulating an actual exam-taking experience. This study assessed the impact of the mock assessment on student learning and actual exam performance in both virtual and in-person exam settings.

Methods: Student mock and actual assessment scores were analyzed retrospectively for 3 cohort years (2019 – 2021) where students were either not administered (2019) or administered mock assessments, followed by actual exams in either in-person (2019) or virtual (2020) settings.

Results: The mean mock assessment score (67%) for the 2020 cohort (n=237) who participated in the mock assessment (n=221) was comparable to the that for the 2021 cohort (n=183) who took the mock assessment (n=115) (p=0.06). Actual exam averages for the 2020 cohort between students who took the mock assessment vs those who did not were comparable (p=0.30). However, students who had a C grade or better in the mock assessment performed better in the actual exam compared to those who earned less than a C grade. Actual exam averages for the 2021 cohort between those who took the mock assessment (84.9%) vs those who did not take the mock assessment (92.7%) differed significantly (p=0.0002). And students who had a C grade or better in the mock assessment performed better in the actual exam compared to those who did not. Student performance scores in the actual assessments for the 2020 and 2021 cohorts were significantly higher (p < 0.05) vs the 2019 cohort (average score = 77%; n=215).

Conclusions: Mock assessments in either virtual or in-person settings promote student learning and performance in a pharmacy calculation course.