A PLYMOUTH medical student who suffers from dyslexia is to

take legal action in an attempt to stop the use of multiple

choice questions in examinations.

Naomi Gadian, 21, from Manchester, claims that multiple

choice testing discriminates against people with dyslexia.

She hopes that legal action will result in multiple choice

testing being scrapped for students with dyslexia.

The second year medical student, who studies at The

Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry in Plymouth,

intends to take the General Medical Council (GMC) to an

employment tribunal.

But the GMC said it has no powers to set medical

examinations which, it said, are controlled by individual

colleges and universities.

Ms Gadian is determined to press on with her case and

intends to take action against the GMC and her college under

the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

She said: “In normal life you don't get given multiple

choice questions to sit. Your patients aren't going to ask you

'Here's an option and four answers. Which one is right?”'

Her solicitor, John MacKenzie, said legal action was in its

early stages and no date or venue had yet been set for the

tribunal hearing.

He said Ms Gadian's college predominantly used multiple

choice questions for assessments of medical students, which was

placing her at a disadvantage.

He explained: “Naomi is very bright, very dedicated and very

hard-working.

“She also has a form of dyslexia which means she has

difficulty with multiple choice questions.”

He said this was manifested with Ms Gadian having difficulty

with the precise definition of the meaning of words, which was

the essence of a multiple choice question test.

He added: “She's had to resit last year because of this but

got through.

“She's now faced with the prospect of her final two or three

years taking these tests, which she finds extremely

difficult.

“This is not a question of a lack of intelligence or a lack

of intellect.”

Mr MacKenzie said Ms Gadian did not want to take legal

action but had been left with little choice.

He added: “They have got to come up with a different way of

testing her knowledge.

“The stress she's under is simply battling with these tests,

she doesn't want to take legal action but she's been left with

little choice.”

A spokeswoman for the GMC said they did not comment on

individual cases, but added: “The GMC does not prescribe the

reasonable adjustments that should be made by medical schools

with respect to students with disabilities and has no statutory

power to do so.

“However, we have recently issued new guidance for medical

schools, Advising Medical Schools: Encouraging Disabled

Students, which outlines ideas and suggestions and offers

practical advice to help them put adjustments in place to

improve the accessibility of medical education for students

with disabilities.”

A spokesman from The Peninsula College of Medicine and

Dentistry, said a number of students suffering from dyslexia

had already graduated from the college.

He said: “We are unable to comment on individual cases,

especially one such as this which is still the subject of

discussion between the student, the Peninsula Medical School

and the University of Exeter.

“We take our responsibility to students with dyslexia

seriously and we can report that, within the two cohorts to

have graduated from the Peninsula Medical School so far, nine

have done so with dyslexia.

“Our ultimate responsibility is to produce doctors of the

highest quality who are fit for practice, and any reasonable

adjustments we have made for students with dyslexia reflect

this objective.”