[Results of the third medical doctorate at the Brussels Free University: relationship with the first three years in the first generation students].

The aim of our study was to assess the relationships between the end-of-year results in the 1st session across 4 study years (the first 3 years and the 6th year) of medical school at the "Université libre de Bruxelles" in a group of 102 students, before initiation of the numerus clausus selection. In particular, we wanted to evaluate whether success in the 6th year was significantly related to the results in the preceding years, notwithstanding other non-academic factors, in two cohorts of students (1994-2000 and 1995-2001). Results showed that success in the 3rd doctorate was only slightly correlated to results in the first three years of study. The 3rd year final percentage was the only variable allowing to significantly predict a very good grade in the 6th year, but its actual contribution was very weak. On the other hand, based on their percentage, the ordering of students each year showed poor stability: three quarter of the students did either progress or regress in the 6th year compared to their rank in the first 3 years of study. These results are discussed with a special emphasis on the particular study sample, selected on the basis of a yearly success in 2 sessions maximum and in the context of the issue of students selection.