Assessments can be a daunting concept for most, and we have them quite frequently here at Lincoln, it is important to make the most of them. Some key terms that you will hear when it comes to assessments are the words formative and summative, which I have defined below for you.
Formative – assessments that do not count towards your grades
Summative – assessments that count towards your grades
The main form of assessments that you will have will be in the form of ROGO examinations. ROGO is essentially an e-assessment platform, on here we will sit exams which are usually multiple-choice exams, with calculations and free text options. In the first half 2 years of the course, you will sit formative ROGO exams every 6 weeks and will be tested on your knowledge of the content you have learned in those 6 weeks.
Everyone approaches the formative exams differently some people will revise for these, some people won’t. It is all about what you feel will help you get the most out of that formative, a cohort average is given, but it is always good to take this with a pinch of salt because not everyone would have revised for it. These tend to give you a good idea of what type of exams questions you can expect on particular topics and also help you figure out what areas you may need to revise a bit better.
You will sit summative exams at the end of each year, for the first year it is important to pass, after year 2 these exams count towards your overall ranking for when you’re applying for your foundation year programmes. As well as summative ROGO exams, you will sit two other in-person exams called the Objective Structured Practical Examination (you will often hear this referred to as an OSPE) and the Objective Structured Practical Examination (you will often hear this referred to as an OSCE). The OSPE will test your biomedical skills, you will be examined on anatomy, histology, drug calculations, interpreting blood test results and prescribing. The OSCEs you sit in your first 2 years will be assessing those clinical examinations and skills you have learnt and practised in your clinical skills sessions.
Other examinations you may sit will be for your optional modules, the way these are examined will be unique to the module that you are doing, some will have essays, some will have traditional exams. You will usually get to see how each module is assessed before you choose them, so whilst you should choose what you find interesting and will enjoy, it is also important to play to your strengths so that you can do as well as you can.
It is up to you to make the most of the assessments, whether they are formative or summative, they will all help you at the end of the day.
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