Discordance-based MCQ grading scheme

What is discordance grading?

Discordance grading is a way of grading MCQs, as an alternative to classic grading. It evaluates both the choices a participant checked and the ones they left unchecked, whereas classic grading only evaluates the checked choices.

Other names: discordance grading, discordance scoring, discordant scheme, medical grading scheme.

For each choice, the participant’s answer is compared with the expected answer key.
Each mismatch counted is called a discordance:

• an incorrect choice that was checked (that should not have been checked)

• or a correct choice that was not checked (that should have been checked)

The more discordances a participant makes, the fewer points they get. Unlike classic grading, identifying that a choice is incorrect is rewarded as much as identifying that a choice is correct.

This grading scheme has historically been used in medical schools and health programs (PACES, PASS/LAS, ECN, EDN, SIDES, IFMK), but it applies to any assessment where you want to reward the ability to tell correct from incorrect.

How does Evalmee calculate the grade?

For each question, Evalmee counts the discordances between the answer given and the answer key, then awards a number of points based on the number of discordances and the number of choices in the question.

You define these correspondences yourself in a table, which lets you reproduce the main medical grading schemes or create your own.

Example: PACES / SIDES grading scheme

For a question with 5 choices:

This is the historical grading scheme of medical competitive exams, standardized nationally by SIDES for the EDN (formerly ECN).

Other reproducible grading schemes

• PS50: 1 discordance = 50% of the points (more lenient) → 1 / 0.5 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 0 for 5 choices

• PS1/n: points decrease in proportion to the number of choices in the question

• Any variant specific to your organization

Turn on discordance grading

In the Configure step of an MCQ exam subject, choose Discordance scoring instead of Classic scoring. Then define your correspondence table.

This mode applies to all the MCQ and SCQ questions in the subject.

Good to know: you can change the grading scheme at any time, even after participants have taken the exam. Grades are recalculated instantly according to the new grading scheme.

When should you use this grading scheme?

Prefer discordance grading when:

• You want to reward discernment rather than simple memorization

• Your questions contain several correct AND incorrect statements, where "not checking a false statement" is also a skill to assess

• You are preparing participants for medical competitive exams that use this grading scheme

• An all-or-nothing grading scheme seems too binary to measure the real level of your participants