Examining the educational impact of the mini-CEX: a randomised controlled study
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Background: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise (mini-CEX) as a formative assessment tool among undergraduate medical students, in terms of student perceptions, effects on direct observation and feedback, and educational impact. Methods: Cluster randomised study of 38 fifth-year medical students during a 16-week clinical placement. Hospitals were randomised to provide a minimum of 8 mini-CEXs per student (intervention arm) or continue with ad-hoc feedback (control arm). After finishing their clinical placement, students completed an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), a written test and a survey. Results: All participants in the intervention group completed the pre-planned number of assessments, and 60% found them to be useful during their clinical placement. Overall, there were no statistically significant differences between groups in reported quantity or quality of direct observation and feedback. Observed mean scores were marginally higher on the OSCE and written test in the intervention group, but not statistically significant. Conclusions: There is considerable potential in assessing medical students during clinical placements and routine practice, but the educational impact of formative assessments remains mostly unknown. This study contributes with a robust study design, and may serve as a basis for future research.
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Tools like rubrics, checklists, or rating scales, such as the Mini-CEX, provide structured criteria for performance evaluation.
“Tools like rubrics, checklists, or rating scales, such as the Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise (Mini-CEX), provide structured criteria for performance evaluation [53][54][55].”
From Formative assessment and feedback in medical education: A practical guide: AMEE Guide No. 189 (2026) · cites this paper as [54]
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- Authors
- Martinsen, S. S. S., Espeland, T., Berg, E. A. R., Samstad, E., Lillebo, B., & Slørdahl, T. S.
- Affiliations
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NO)
- Venue
- BMC Medical Education
- Published
- 2021-04-21
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 228-228
- ISSN
- 1472-6920 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8061047
- OpenAlex
- W3153674181
- Cited by
- 45
- References
- 38
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 10
- FWCI
- 4.12
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- BMC Medical Education (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- NORA - Norwegian Open Research Archives (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Innovations in Medical Education
- Social Sciences › Education › Student Assessment and Feedback
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Family Practice › Clinical Reasoning and Diagnostic Skills
- Keywords
- Mini-CEX, formative assessment, undergraduate medical students, clinical practicum, direct observation, feedback, student perceptions, OSCE, clinical skills assessment, educational impact
- MeSH terms
- Clinical Clerkship, Clinical Competence, Educational Measurement, Humans, Physical Examination, Students, Medical
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