Exploring students' [pre-pandemic] use and the impact of commercial-off-the-shelf learning platforms on students' national licensing exam performance: A focused review - BEME Guide No. 72.

Background: Commercial-off-the-shelf learning platforms developed for medical education (herein referred to as MedED-COTS) have emerged as a resource used by a majority of medical students to prepare for licensing examinations. As MedED-COTS proliferate and include more functions and features, there is a need for an up-to-date review to inform medical educators on (a) students' use of MedED-COTS outside the formal medical school curriculum, (b) the integration of MedED-COTS into the formal curriculum, and (c) the potential effects of MedED-COTS usage on students' national licensing exam scores in the USA.

Methods: Due to the limited number of studies published on either the use or integration of MedED-COTS, a focused review of literature was conducted to guide future research and practice.