Problem-based learning (PBL) is a widely used androgogical strategy in medical institutes. Since its inception in 1996, Ziauddin Medical College implemented a hybrid medical curriculum. The course objectives of the curriculum are divided into various organ-system blocks. The instructional strategies included PBLs and lectures. At specified intervals, students were evaluated for their acquired knowledge in continuous assessment tests (CATs). The overall summative assessment includes CAT and PBL activity scores. We hypothesized that PBL activity scores should reflect into continuous assessment test (CAT) results. In this study, we assessed the PBL score in relation to CAT performance. 

Students with higher PBL activity scores were more likely to perform satisfactorily in CATs. 

Active participation in PBL process reflects positively on test scores.

The study cohort consisted of Year-3 medical students of Ziauddin Medical College, Karachi. The PBLs revolve around the objectives of Pathology and Pharmacology. The students in PBLs were assigned activity scores through a pre-validated proforma (alpha 0.72), representing their punctuality, group dynamics and contribution to the discussion. Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon U-test was used to analyze the satisfactory performance versus PBL activity score. All analyses were two-tailed and a p-value <0.05 was considered significant. 

The PBL activity scores of students who were satisfactory in both the subjects were significantly higher than those students who were unsatisfactory in both the subjects in CAT-2 and 3 with a p value of 0.001 and 0.03 respectively. Since minimal objectives were covered through PBLs up to CAT-1, the PBL activity score did not influence the CAT-1 outcome.