Psychometric quality of multiple-choice questions in the residency entrance examination at the Faculty of Medicine in Batna: A tool for improving assessment practices.

INTRODUCTION: A psychometric analysis of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) is an important step in the assessment process. It makes sure that MCQ items are valid and reliable. The residency competition is an important part of medical training. It is how we choose future doctors who can meet the clinical and scientific requirements. Our aim is to find out what the medical residency competition's MCQs are like. METHODS: 150 multiple-choice questions (MCQs) were analysed from the October 2025 medical residency exam. There were 760 candidates in the exams. This analysis looked at the difficulty index (DIF I), the discrimination index (DI), and Cronbach's alpha coefficient. RESULTS: 78 (52%) of the multiple-choice questions were at a recommended/acceptable level of difficulty, with an average DIF I of 43± 2,03. 45 (30%) were too difficult. 97 items (64%) had a DI between excellent and acceptable, and 40 (26%) were rejected, with an overall average DI of 0,325± 0,017. There was a relationship between DIF I and DI (r=0.36, p0.01). The reliability of the items was satisfactory at 0.84, as measured by Cronbach's alpha coefficient. CONCLUSION: Our study allowed us to find good MCQs to add to the question bank for future tests, as well as MCQs that needed to be changed. This thorough analysis makes sure that the assessments are valid and reliable. It makes sure that the selection process is tough and that it meets the necessary academic and practical standards.