Testing as a component of continuing education programs: evaluation of conference presentations by this method.

As a means of evaluating the effect of each presentation at a national medical conference and of the meeting as a whole, the scheduled lecturers were asked to supply the testers with several questions that summarized the most important points of their talks. Audience participants at the meeting were given tests drawn from these questions--one test before the beginning of the meeting, and another at the end. The results were compared for the answers to each lecturer's 3-question group, and for the complete tests. All scores were better at the end than at the beginning of each lecture. A follow-up survey of the attitudes of participants showed a positive reaction to the use of such testing at future meetings.