Kevin Busche1, Martha L Elks, Joshua T Hanson, Loretta Jackson-Williams, R Stephen Manuel, Wanda L Parsons, David Wofsy, Kun Yuan. 1. K. Busche is assistant dean for undergraduate medical education and assistant professor of clinical neurosciences, University of Calgary, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. M.L. Elks is senior associate dean for educational affairs and professor of medical education and medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia. J.T. Hanson is associate dean for student affairs and associate professor of medicine, University of Texas Health San Antonio, Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, San Antonio, Texas. L. Jackson-Williams is vice dean for medical education and professor of emergency medicine, School of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi. R.S. Manual was associate dean for medical school admissions and associate professor of family medicine, University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Jackson, Mississippi, at the time this work was completed. W.L. Parsons is associate professor of family medicine, and past assistant dean for admissions, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. D. Wofsy is associate dean for admissions and professor of medicine, University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, San Francisco, California. K. Yuan is director, Medical College Admission Test Research, Association of American Medical Colleges, Washington, DC.
Abstract
PURPOSE: The new Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) was introduced in April 2015. This report presents findings from the first study of the validity of scores from the new MCAT exam in predicting student performance in the first year of medical school (M1). METHOD: The authors analyzed data from the national population of 2016 matriculants with scores from the new MCAT exam (N = 7,970) and the sample of 2016 matriculants (N = 955) from 16 medical schools who volunteered to participate in the validity research. They examined correlations of students' MCAT total scores and total undergraduate grade point averages (UGPAs), alone and together, with their summative performance in M1, and the success rate of students with different MCAT scores in their on-time progression to the second year of medical school (M2). They assessed whether MCAT scores provided comparable prediction of performance in M1 by students' race/ethnicity, socioeconomic background, and gender. RESULTS: Correlations of MCAT scores with summative performance in M1 ranged from medium to large. Although MCAT scores and UGPAs provided similar prediction of performance in M1, using both metrics provided better prediction than either alone. Additionally, students with a wide range of MCAT scores progressed to M2 on time. Finally, MCAT scores provided comparable prediction of performance in M1 for students from different sociodemographic backgrounds. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides early evidence that scores from the new MCAT exam predict student performance in M1. Future research will examine the validity of MCAT scores in predicting performance in later years.
PURPOSE: The new Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) was introduced in April 2015. This report presents findings from the first study of the validity of scores from the new MCAT exam in predicting student performance in the first year of medical school (M1). METHOD: The authors analyzed data from the national population of 2016 matriculants with scores from the new MCAT exam (N = 7,970) and the sample of 2016 matriculants (N = 955) from 16 medical schools who volunteered to participate in the validity research. They examined correlations of students' MCAT total scores and total undergraduate grade point averages (UGPAs), alone and together, with their summative performance in M1, and the success rate of students with different MCAT scores in their on-time progression to the second year of medical school (M2). They assessed whether MCAT scores provided comparable prediction of performance in M1 by students' race/ethnicity, socioeconomic background, and gender. RESULTS: Correlations of MCAT scores with summative performance in M1 ranged from medium to large. Although MCAT scores and UGPAs provided similar prediction of performance in M1, using both metrics provided better prediction than either alone. Additionally, students with a wide range of MCAT scores progressed to M2 on time. Finally, MCAT scores provided comparable prediction of performance in M1 for students from different sociodemographic backgrounds. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides early evidence that scores from the new MCAT exam predict student performance in M1. Future research will examine the validity of MCAT scores in predicting performance in later years.
Authors: Joel Purkiss; Melissa Plegue; Christina J Grabowski; Michael H Kim; Sharad Jain; Mark C Henderson; Lisa M Meeks Journal: JAMA Netw Open Date: 2021-05-03
Authors: Daniel J Davies; Amir H Sam; Kevin G Murphy; Shahid A Khan; Ruth Choe; Jennifer Cleland Journal: Med Educ Date: 2022-05-16 Impact factor: 7.647