Effects of remote proctoring on composite exam performance among student pharmacists

Abstract

Objective. To determine the impact of remote proctoring on student pharmacist academic performance. Methods. This was a retrospective, observational study that compared first- (P1) and second-year (P2) student pharmacist scores on eight composite exams administered in spring 2020 (n=387), the final three of which were proctored remotely, to that of a historical cohort who took the same exams in spring 2019 (n=368). To assess whether remote proctoring affected academic performance, spring 2020 scores for exams 6, 7, and 8 were compared to that of a historical cohort proctored live in spring 2019. Academic performance on exams 1 through 4 was also compared between the two cohorts to evaluate any possible year-to-year variation in academic performance during non-remote circumstances. Mann Whitney tests were used to compare scores between the two cohorts. Results. Median scores were significantly lower in spring 2020 as compared to the historical cohort on the first composite exam administered to P1 students after the implementation of remote proctoring. In contrast, median scores were significantly higher for two of three exams administered to P2 students with remote proctoring. Conclusion. Remote proctoring has a minimal impact on student pharmacist exam performance and may be considered to assure academic honesty and security of testing content in a distance learning environment.