Jordan Hospital moves online for its fellowship program’s entrance exam

Jordan Hospital had been conducting pen-and-paper exams for admission to its various training programs. However, the government’s restrictions on social distancing and ban on large gatherings began impacting the intake of students in the hospital’s two-year fellowship program. The hospital administration began exploring virtual solutions after realizing that safely bringing 150 candidates to the examination center was an unviable proposition. The hospital sought a vendor that could host the exams and also provide online monitoring.

Let’s discuss them in detail-

• Eliminating human intervention

The examiners had to take time out of their ongoing and typical routine at the hospital to prepare the test, make copies for the randomization of questions, invigilate and grade the students. It was a tedious process. The administration wanted a solution that could reduce or eliminate human intervention from the examination process, streamlining the exercise.

• Process automation

Manual evaluation and analysis left the scope for human error. The process was also time-consuming. The hospital wanted to relieve its staff from invigilation duties by onboarding an online examination provider to host exams and cater to online proctoring.

• Faster and accurate results

Since it was the department of internal medicine’s maiden attempt at giving online examination, it wanted a solution that was easy to understand, use and implement. The administration wanted an efficient platform that could generate faster and accurate results.

The hospital conducted examinations using traditional means. It sought alternative means after the ongoing pandemic began impacting the examination schedule.

Traditional methods created the following challenges:

• Manually demanding

Evaluating close to 150 students would take at least three days. Ensuring that the tests were marked correctly, followed by manual analysis and making entries in an excel spreadsheet to rank students based on individual performance, required significant effort. It was an error-prone process, reliant on human interventions.

• Logistically time-consuming

Creating multiple forms of the same exam required extensive paperwork. Additionally, the examiners had to spend long hours, making different copies of the same questionnaire. The task could not be entrusted to a junior member of the hospital to safeguard the exam’s sanctity. It was a tedious process.

• Limitations in vendor offerings

The hospital administration was on a lookout for both an online examination platform and proctoring. However, most vendors provided either of the two. As some offered integration, finding another testing platform was an additional step for the administration. Uploading tests using one vendor and using Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based monitoring by employing the other meant dealing with two different service providers, increasing the turnaround time. Hence, limiting features was a key concern for the hospital.

As Jordan Hospital inquired to understand more about Mercer | Mettl’s services, our team contacted the administration within 24 hours. After understanding the hospital’s requirements, the team scheduled a demo to showcase Mettl Examine and proctoring service to the hospital’s administration. The solution comprised of the following:

• Robust examination platform

Mettl Examine, our end-to-end online examination platform, allowed the examiners to effortlessly upload questions, invite candidates, set up exams and roll out results, automating an otherwise tedious process. The questions could be easily uploaded in bulk, along with the option to randomize them. The platform simplified the examination process significantly.

• Real-time and AI-based proctoring

The three step authentication process negated any chances of impersonation. Mercer | Mettl’s anti-cheating technology barred students from browsing out of the test window and sharing their test screens. It also flagged suspicious instances, such as a distracted candidate, the presence of another person, or gadget(s). Additionally, a real-time webcam-based proctoring provided a live feed to maintain the integrity of the test.

• 24×7 customer support

Since the online examination platform was new to all stakeholders, Mercer | Mettl provided round the clock support. The team was always available to offer any assistance by giving demos and addressing queries, providing almost real-time solutions to the hospital administration.

Jordan Hospital saw outstanding results by implementing Mettl Examine and proctoring service. Several marked improvements were noticed as compared to the traditional process

• Automation of traditional exams

Mettl Examine eliminated inefficiencies and delays, typically encountered in the traditional examination process. The end-to-end examination system fully automated the tasks requiring manual effort, offering a seamless and hassle-free examination experience.

• Maintained the integrity of the exams

Mercer | Mettl’s secure browser ensured high-test integrity by barring students from navigating outside the test window, while three-point authentication ensured there was no impersonation. Additionally, AI flagged multiple suspicious instances, providing a completely cheat-proof virtual environment.

• Improved turnaround time

The automation of pen-and-paper exams reduced the long hours spent by the examiners. Auto-proctoring and auto-grading features provided real-time reports, drastically reducing the end-to-end turnaround time of the exams.

• Reduced logistical hassle

Mercer | Mettl effectively addressed the logistical challenges in creating multiple questionnaires, making copies of question papers and accurately grading students in the least-possible time.

The way forward

Various departments in Jordan Hospital are now planning to conduct online examinations. The hospital plans to implement online testing for admission to all its departments even after coronavirus is completely eradicated and the hospital begins soliciting applicants for its residency program in the next academic year.