In one sentence
Medical students who practiced with both very short answer questions (VSAQs) and multiple-choice questions (MCQs) — without feedback — showed no retention advantage for either practice format, even though VSAQs were failed more often.
What the researchers did
van Wijk and colleagues ran a randomised within-subjects study with 45 students in an extracurricular lifestyle course. Each student practiced with both VSAQs and MCQs, without feedback. The final retention test reused identical questions in both formats.
A 2 × 2 repeated-measures ANOVA tested effects of practice format and final-test format on scores. Digital questionnaires captured how students experienced the tests.
What they found
- VSAQs were answered incorrectly more often on practice tests and on the final test.
- There was no main effect of practice question format on final test performance.
- There was no interaction between practice format and final-test format.
- Most students still judged the practice tests beneficial for learning, regardless of format.
- Authors suggest lower initial retrieval success on VSAQs may have limited their practice benefit when feedback was absent.
What this means for learners and educators
- Switching to short-answer practice alone does not guarantee better retention — especially without feedback after each attempt.
- If you use VSAQs, raise early success (hints, scaffolding, or immediate correction) so failed retrieval does not stay uncorrected.
- MCQs remain usable for volume practice; pair them with some free recall so recognition is not your only mode.
- Student belief that practice helps can outrun measurable format differences — still measure delayed scores, not only opinions.
Limitations and what we don't know yet
n = 45 in one extracurricular course limits generalisation. No feedback during practice is a strong design choice that may blunt free-recall advantages. Final items matched practice formats, which can favour transfer within format. Abstract reporting lacks exact score means and retention delay. Clinical trial number: not applicable.