Navigating the New Normal: Long-Term Impacts of COVID-19 Academic Transition on Student Success

The COVID-19 pandemic forced a rapid transition in education, profoundly disrupting medical students' learning environments. This study examines the influence of test delivery methods and academic status during the 2020-2021 academic year on exam performance during the first year of medical school. A survey was administered to the first year cohort (175 students) where 24 responses were received. Participants reported academic metrics, including scores from a six-week introductory basic science course (M2P) and a first-year nervous system course (NVS1). They were also asked to describe their educational settings (online, hybrid, or in-person) and test-taking styles (e.g., open-book, closed-book, lockdown browser, handwritten) during the 2020-2021 academic year through matriculation. Preliminary findings revealed that test-taking styles significantly impacted performance. Students who utilized lockdown browsers during the pandemic academic year (2020–2021) and transitioned to handwritten or closed-book exams post-pandemic through matriculation were the highest performers. Conversely, students who participated in handwritten exams during the pandemic academic year and switched to lockdown browsers post-pandemic exhibited the poorest performance. Preliminary findings also revealed that across all modalities, students who transitioned to handwritten test-taking after the 2020–2021 academic year outperformed those who used the same test-taking approach during the pandemic year. Analysis by academic status during the 2020-2021 academic year further showed a possible correlation with exam performance during medical school. Freshman respondents demonstrated the highest performance in both courses; however, this result may be influenced by a potential outlier due to a low response. Excluding this, the next highest-performing group consisted of students not enrolled in any formal education during the 2020–2021 academic year. In contrast, post-baccalaureate and graduate students showed the lowest performance levels across both courses. This study highlights the significant influence of test-taking modalities and students' academic status during the pandemic on their subsequent academic success. Insights from these findings emphasize the importance of aligning test-taking strategies with students' educational stages to enhance performance and resilience in medical education, particularly during periods of disruption. Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine - Office of Research and Sponsored Programs This abstract was presented at the American Physiology Summit 2025 and is only available in HTML format. There is no downloadable file or PDF version. The Physiology editorial board was not involved in the peer review process.