We developed the structured clinical examination to address many of the drawbacks of the conventional clinical examination. Students in this activity move between a number of stations in the hospital ward. They are required to do a procedure, such as taking a patient’s history, performing a portion of a physical exam, or interpreting laboratory results in light of a patient’s problem, at one station, and then respond to questions about the results and their interpretation at the next station. Multiple-choice questions have a little cueing impact since the respondent cannot go back and check for errors. Examiners utilizing a check list may monitor and grade the pupils at various locations.

The variables and complexity of the examination can be more readily controlled, the objectives can be more precisely stated, and a wider range of the student’s knowledge can be examined in the structured clinical examination. The test is more impartial, and a marking scheme can be chosen in advance. The test yields better feedback for students and faculty.