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2) What were your grades in the third year? (self- 3) When did you start preparing for CBT?4) Did you participate in the summer camp as a 5) Did you have a part-time job during the summer 6) Did you travel during the summer vacation?7) Have you taken any practice examination for 132earlier. Furthermore, as CBT is conducted immedi-ately after the summer vacation for the fourth year in our university, the way to spend this period is the important point.The present study compared students’ CBT scores during the 2-year period before (“without COVID-19”) and 2-year period during (“with COVID-19”) the COVID-19 pandemic, and analyzed factors associated with poor results. As students with poor CBT scores are likely to also face difficulties in the subsequent graduation examination and national qualification examination, it aims to provide a useful insight for guiding students toward the establish-ment of suitable study methods through prepara-tion for CBT during the fourth year6). Subjects: A total of 541 students (377 males and 164 females), who had taken CBT within the period between 2018 and 2021. Methods: A questionnaire survey on preparation for CBT was conducted after it. The questionnaire consisted of the following ques-tions: 1) What is your science elective for your university entrance examination?report)club activity?vacation?CBT?Excluding 5 with no answers to any question and 6 who had taken the examination, selecting “phys-ics-biology”, 530 students (368 males and 162 females) were examined. Their IRT scores for CBT were classified into 6 grades: 1: lower than 300, 2: 300-399, 3: 400-499, 4: 500-599, 5: 600-699, and 6: 700 or higher. In the present study, IRT scores lower than 400 (Grades 1 and 2) were defined as poor CBT scores.Analysis was performed based on the question-naire results, and the students’ performance was compared between “without/with COVID-19” to identify the causes of poor CBT scores. IntroductionThe rule that requires students to pass 2 common achievement tests: computer-based testing (CBT) and Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), in order to participate in clinical exercises is widely recognized among medical schools throughout Japan. Questions presented in CBT vary among examinees, but the level of difficulty is adjusted based on the item response theory (IRT). As the passing IRT score is fixed at 359 or higher, students with IRT scores lower than this in the main test and re-test are bound to repeat a year at this point. Therefore, students study hard to pass these tests1). Based on the model core curriculum, CBT exam-ines basic knowledge of basic medicine, clinical medicine, and social medicine, and, serving as a mid-term examination during the 6-year medical school period, it is called “the Pre-national Medical Practitioners Qualifying Examination”. As the Medical Practitioners’ Law was revised at last, it has been decided to define common achievement tests (CBT and OSCE) before clinical exercise as public examinations from 2023. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which began to globally spread from 2019, has negatively affected not only people’s health, but also many fields, including economic activities. Among medical institutions, there have been fears of a collapse of healthcare services due the chaos in hospitals caused by this unknown infectious disease, while concerns over a decline in academic performance have been raised at educational institutions due to the prolonged closure of schools. The suspension of educational activities also has had a significant impact on medical schools, which were forced to adopt measures for students to attend lectures and exercises at home, mainly using online systems2, 3). It is necessary to clarify how medical students in such a special situation have learned and taken CBT.In our previous studies, we reported that “students who have taken a practice examination achieve better CBT scores than those who have not”, and “students who selected biology for the university entrance examination achieved better CBT scores than those who selected physics4-6). Preparation for CBT requires regular effort, but, needless to say, it is better for students to start such preparation Materials and Methods