Gender Differences in Medical Students’ Self-Assessment: A Linear Mixed-Effects Model (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Self-assessment is a key requirement for lifelong learning in medicine. Evidence from gender-related research indicates that important moderators affecting self-assessment are influenced by gender. Therefore, systematic gender differences in the accuracy of self-assessment may be assumed. OBJECTIVE The present study aims to examine gender differences in medical students’ self-assessment. Specifically, this study addresses two research questions: (1) Are there systematic gender differences in medical students' self-assessment accuracy? (2) What is the magnitude of these gender differences when accounting for academic progress and knowledge? METHODS Medical students from 3 cohorts at the Medical School OWL were surveyed in 3 waves between April 2023 and April 2024 during the Progress Test Medicine (PTM). Prior to answering the test, students were asked to indicate the percentage of the PTM questions they expected to answer correctly in five knowledge areas. Self-assessment accuracy was calculated as the difference between the subjective self-assessment and the objective test score. Linear mixed models (LMMs) were used to analyze the influence of gender on students’ self-assessment accuracy while accounting for academic progress and knowledge. RESULTS A total of 165 students participated in this study (66.58% women, 33.42% men; age: M=21.96 years, SD=3.61). Across all models, female students rated themselves significantly less accurately than their male peers. The observed gender effect ranged from -3.74 to -6.08 percentage points. CONCLUSIONS The results indicated systematic gender differences in medical students’ self-assessment, in favor of male students, with a magnitude comparable to the average knowledge acquired in an entire semester of study. In view of the potentially negative consequences of inaccurate self-assessment, targeted support for developing realistic self-assessment during medical studies may be particularly beneficial for female students.