BMC Med Educ. 2026 May 4. doi: 10.1186/s12909-026-09376-4. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and diagnostic utility of a structured Medical Licensing Examination (MLE) preparatory course designed for Saudi medical interns. The evaluation focused on assessing the program participants’ readiness by evaluating their knowledge, test-taking skills, and participant satisfaction.
METHODS: This convergent mixed-methods evaluation design study was carried out at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The entire cohort of 103 interns was included. The preparatory program was organized into a three-phase process. The initial planning phase involved identifying student needs and designing the course. This was followed by the implementation phase, which focused on delivering the course through interactive learning sessions and practice examinations. The final evaluation phase was dedicated to assessing participant satisfaction, gathering feedback, and analyzing benefits. For data collection, the researchers developed a questionnaire to assess satisfaction and administered a post-course mock examination as formative tool to measure the interns’ knowledge and readiness for the licensing exam. Data analysis integrated descriptive statistics for numerical data with thematic analysis for open-ended responses.
RESULTS: Out of 76 interns, 67 (88.15%) reported high levels of satisfaction with all the sessions. Most participants agreed that the course objectives were clearly defined (n = 59, 77.6%) and that participation and interaction were encouraged (n = 75, 98.7%). The mean test score was 21.71 (43.42%), which suggests a relatively low level of preparation for this type of examination. Qualitative feedback further supported these findings, highlighting strengths in content delivery and instructional strategies.
CONCLUSION: The integration of the MLE preparation program and mock assessment within the medical curriculum offers a structured approach to familiarizing interns with the format and content of the licensure examination. Participant feedback suggests positive perceptions of the learning experience, while the mock assessment provided a useful diagnostic snapshot of performance at the time of administration. These findings describe the potential role of such interventions in supporting exam preparation.
PMID:42082995 | DOI:10.1186/s12909-026-09376-4
