In this cross–sectional educational study, second–year MBBS students and teachers were oriented about the study. 62 students (30 females: 48.38% and 32 males: 51.62%) gave written informed consent for participation in the study. Question bank, check lists and script for role play were prepared and validated by the participants, faculty members and experts. The lottery system was used to randomly allocate students into two groups comprising 31 students each – Group A and Group B. Participants in Group A witnessed a role play (mock viva voce examination) before they themselves faced a viva voce examination; while those in Group B faced conventional viva voce examination by the same examiner, who used the same 5 gross pathology specimens. After one month, a formative assessment examination was conducted, wherein Group A students obtained significantly higher scores (Z=2.055; p=0.039) in the viva voce examination as compared their Group B counterparts