Exploring the Impact of Formative Assessment on Summative Assessment Outcomes: A Feedback-Based Quasi-Experimental Study in Forensic Medicine Education.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the effect of OSPE-based formative assessment with structured feedback on students’ summa-tive assessment performance.
Methodology: This quasi-experimental pretest–posttest study was conducted in the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, from August 2025 to January 2026. A total of 97 third-year MBBS students were enrolled through non-probability consecutive sampling. Students completed a baseline pretest followed by three formative Objective Structured Practical Examinations (OSPEs), with structured feed-back after each assessment. Academic performance was evaluated using pretest, formative and summative scores. Students’ perceptions were assessed through a structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using paired t-test, Pear-son correlation and descriptive statistics.
Results: The mean posttest score was significantly higher than the pretest score (66.8 ± 9.1 vs. 59.2 ± 8.7; t=10.84, p=0.031). Performance improved progressively across the three OSPEs. Individual OSPE scores were not significantly associated with summative performance, but the mean OSPE score showed a significant positive correlation with sum-mative scores (r=0.39, p<0.001). Most students reported positive perceptions, and 87.6% recommended routine use of this method.
Conclusion: OSPE-based formative assessment with structured feedback improved academic performance and showed a positive relationship with summative outcomes.
Keywords: Formative Assessment; Feedback; OSPE; Medical Education; Competency-Based Medical Education.