Introduction: In postgraduate training courses, the purpose is training to achieve an acceptable level of knowledge and clinical skills. Assessment of learning outcomes during residency is done by internal evaluation and annual in-training exams and in the end of residency course by the pre-board qualifying and board certification exams. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between residents’ success on the certifying examinations and results of internal evaluation and in-training exam in different periods in Guilan University of Medical Sciences.
Methods: In this retrospective study, data of residents who participated in the certifying examinations in the years 2005-2013 were studied. Three evolutions in evaluation of residents occurred in this span. The first period in the years 2005-2007 which internal evaluation is added, the second period in the years of 2008 – 2010 which new methods of evaluation is added to internal evaluation and the third period during the years of 2011-2013 which the Pre-board exam was decentralized and awarded to the type 1 universities. In this study, in first period 188 residents, in second period 278 residents and in third priod 218 residents were evaluated respectively.  time pass rate was considered, and its relationship between these outcomes and standard scores of internal evaluation and in-training exams by t-test (or Mann Whitney U test in variables with non-normal distribution) and χ2 was determined. Also logistic regression analysis and cluster analysis for grouping residents in three periods were used. The statistical analysis has been done by SPSS and the significant level in the study was considered 0.05.
Results: totally, among 680 students, 366 of them were male and 314 subjects were female. In general, 64.2%  of male residents and 74.1%  of female residents passed the board exam. There was no significant difference in the success rate of male or female participants in the three periods. In first period, there was only difference between scores of internal evaluation in successful and unsuccessful residents groups (P>0.02). In second period, there was significant differences in scores of in-training exams in successful and unsuccessful residents (P<0.001). In third period, there was no significant differences between in-training exams of successful and unsuccessful residents .based on  the result of logistic regression analysis, there was only significant differences, in first priod, between standardized score of internal evaluation in senior residents, and in second period, there is significant relationship between standardized score of in-training exam and success on the certifying examination among senior and freshman residents and finally in third period, there was no relationship between standardized score of internal evaluation and in-training exam with success on the certifying examination.
Conclusion: The results showed a weak relationship between scores of internal evaluation and in-training exam with success rate of residents in the third period. In this period (2011-2013), pre-board exams removed from supervision of specialized medical Secretariat of the Council and was delegated to top rank universities.