Directorate of Question Bank

1. Objective

These SOPs are devised to provide a centralized as well as a secure mode of creating, processing, reviewing, and utilizing the Question Bank (Q Bank) for all Postgraduate (PG), Undergraduate (UG), and Allied Health Sciences (AHS) courses, at the LUMHS.

Ensure quality, validity, and fairness of assessments.
Align questions with outcomes in the curriculum, accreditation, and international standards (WFME, AMEE, CPSP, PMC).
Maintain security, confidentiality, and integrity of examination content.

2. Coverage

These SOPs are for:
All faculty members, Heads of Departments (HoDs)/Chairpersons, Director of Q Bank, staff from the Examination Department, Q bank's Operational and Administrative Staff.

Programs covered:

Undergraduate (MBBS, BDS)
Postgraduate (FCPS, MD, MS,Diplomas, MPhil, PhD, )
Allied Health Sciences (Nursing, DPT, Doctor of Pharmcy , Biomedical Engineering , BSc Nursing generic and Post RN, BS Radiology and technology, Bsc MLT,Forensic science biology, Chemistry and Toxicology , Molecular Biology, Applied Associates Radiology Technology, Diploma DOT, Ophthalmology, DDT, DBT.

3. Roles and Responsibilities

Director of Q Bank:
Supervise governance and running of UG, PG, and Allied Q Bank sections.
Coordinate with HoDs and the Examination Department for timely construction and review of questions, paper-setting and paper uploading for conduction.
Adhere to security and scholarly standards.

Heads of Departments (HoDs/Chairpersons):
Assign faculty for question development.
Ensure subject-specific proficiency, curricular coherence, and topical equity.
Nominate faculty for Paper setting.

Faculty Members:
Construct questions at q bank appropriate for their program (UG/PG/Allied).
Rewrite questions from the result of peer review and item analysis.
Nominated faculty participate in paper setting
Faculty nominated as examination coordinator perform duty to coordinate between examiners and Q bank director for schedule and room allocation for paper setting

Administrative Staff:
Manage and refresh Question Bank database.
Follow established data security, confidentiality, and encryption policies.Record all paper-setting activities and keep audit trails.

4. Question Development & Construction

Construction Guidelines:
Questions including SBA and OSPE/ OSCE constructed EXCLUSIVELY at construction room of Q Bank with following format.
Each SBA should have a clear stem, 5 plausible options, and 1 correct answer.
The difficulty level must match the learner's stage.
Every question must be tagged by subject, topic, subtopic, Bloom’s Taxonomy level, and difficulty rating.
New questions are added to the pool as “Unreviewed” until approved.
OSPE/ OSCE stations constructed as per standard format

5. Question Review & Approval

Peer Review Panels:
UG:
Minimum of 2 senior faculty (Associate Professor or higher) and a Medical Education expert.

PG:
Senior specialty faculty (Professors) and Medical Education expert.

Allied:
Faculty from the relevant discipline and a Medical Education expert.

Review Process:
Reviewers evaluate questions for accuracy, clarity, relevance, cognitive level, and alignment with the curriculum.

They may revise questions directly or send it back to author for rectification.

Final approval must come from the HoD or Chairperson before the question enters the official pool.

6. Paper Setting Procedures

Responsibilities:

Examination Department:
Forward the list of nominated paper setters and examination coordinator to the Q Bank.

Q Bank:
Coordinator (Nominated faculty member by controller of examination) communicate with director Q bank for arrangement including schedules and sets up for the paper setting room,with strict confidentiality and security measures.

Paper Setter:
Must fulfill eligibility criteria, prepare the paper in accordance with the Table of Specification (TOS), and maintain confidentiality.

Procedure

Step 1 – Receipt of Nominations
The Q Bank receives the official list of nominated paper setters from the Examination Department.

Eligibility is verified (Assistant Professor with a minimum of 3 years of experience).
Conflicts of interest are checked (e.g., an immediate relative appearing in the exam).

Paper Setters Communication
Nominated paper setters receive official communication via coordinator (Nominated senior faculty member by / Dean or chairperson of concerned department) confirming the nomination.Written acknowledgment of acceptance is required.

Nominated paper setters recieve paper setting instructions and TOS at Q bank under confidentiality rules.

Paper Setting at Q Bank
Papers are prepared EXCLUSIVELY in the Q Bank’s designated Paper Setting Room.
Questions are selected from the official Q Bank Question Pool.
The final paper must align with the Table of Specification (TOS).
In spite of one Question Paper 2 Papers must be prepared out of those one uploaded for examination . The one which was not utilized remain saved at Q bank in encrypted form.
No external materials or devices are allowed.

Encryption & Security
The final paper is encrypted immediately after preparation by the Director of Q Bank.
Strict confidentiality is enforced; the paper setter signs a Confidentiality & Non-Disclosure Agreement.
The paper is securely stored in the Q Bank database.

Uploading for Computer-Based Assessment (CBA)
The encrypted paper is uploaded to the Examination Centre’s system 30 minutes before the exam.
Only authorized personnel carry out the upload in the presence of Q Bank officials.
No paper is transferred outside of encrypted channels.

Reporting & Documentation
Q Bank maintains detailed records of each session including the paper setter’s name, date, time, subject/module, and confirmation of encryption and upload.Any breach or conflict of interest is reported immediately to the Controller of Examinations.

7. Feedback and Analysis

Questions with high discrimination indices and appropriate difficulty levels retained, while others either be revised or removed.

8. Post-Examination Analysis

Post-examination analysis conducted regularly to assess the performance of individual questions.
Item analysis (difficulty index, discrimination index and advanced psychometric analysis)after every exam.
Skill and competency mapping via OSPE/OSCE analysis.
Questions that perform poorly are revised or archived.
High-performing questions are retained and flagged as “validated”.

9. Question Bank Maintenance

Separate, secure digital repositories for UG, PG, and Allied programs.
Regular updates ensure alignment with curriculum changes and current evidence.
Access is restricted to authorized users with role-based permissions.

10. Training & Faculty Development

Regular Training of faculty in SBA and clinical vignette writing. Workshops on case-based questions, OSCE/OSPE scenario creation, and critical appraisal question design.

11. Continuous Quality Assurance

Annual audits to ensure the Question Bank aligns with the curriculum.
Scheduled review cycles every two years, or sooner if curriculum updates occur.
Input from faculty, students, and examiners is used to improve the system.
Standards are benchmarked against international bodies such as WFME, AMEE, NBME, CPSP.