Throughout a medical degree and its students' gradual entry into an area of specialization, cognitive assessments are widely applied and used in order to analyze learning procedures. The instrument used is not however always compatible or effective in evaluating the topics studied. Apart from gauging the extent of medical students' knowledge of STIs, the aim of this study is to investigate the existence of preferential distributions with regard to gender. In this descriptive observational cross-sectional study, 25 multiple-choice tests were, formulated according to Bloom's typology, the degree of difficulty and STIs' thematic core. They were then applied to 68 sixth-year interns. Results registered preferential distribution (p < 0.001) with homogeneity of students in the direction of the most frequent alternative and a polarization of correct answers in the categories of Knowledge and Analysis. The findings are representative of the current medical education model, in which the transmission of information dominates a development and reconstruction of knowledge, leading to the search for new strategies in teaching and assessment.