Introduction:

The Progress Test (PT) as an assessment tool in medical education is an important tool to evaluate the efficiency of the program. However, students’ perception of their performance and the impact of the PT on learning may vary according to personal, educational, social and cultural contexts.

Objective:

This descriptive research with a qualitative approach aimed to analyze the perception of undergraduate medical students of a University Center in northwestern São Paulo about their performance in the PT, as well as the impact of this perception in the short term on their study strategies.

Method:

The convenience sample was composed of twenty participants, after approval of the research by the Research Ethics Committee. The focus group technique was used in two different moments for data collection; one group consisted of ten fifth-period students and the other, of ten eighth-period students. Data analysis was based on content analysis, thematic modality, as described by Bardin (2011).

Results:

It was identified that the interviewed students consider: 1. the PT performance conditions as inadequate; 2. the PT a relevant pedagogical tool, which allows self-assessment and the correction of learning gaps, but they suggest that it should be improved; 3. sitting the PT determined contradictory feelings for the students, according to their period of study.

Conclusion:

The Progress Test is considered by students a relevant “pedagogical tool”. However, the impact of the performance results obtained and the feedback received did not promote changes in the study plan of the interviewed students in the short term. The practice of self-assessment is not yet a culture in academic life. It is necessary to consider new strategies for the delivery of formative feedback, allowing for reflective discussion of the issues and the course/class results in order to enhance the teaching-learning process.

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