1998 Joseph E. Whitley, MD, Award. Relationship between American College of Radiology in-training examination scores and American Board of Radiology written examination scores. Part 2. Multi-institutional study.

RATIONALE AND
OBJECTIVES: The authors assessed the relationship between resident performance on the American College of Radiology in-training examination and subsequent American Board of Radiology written examination.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Percentile scores from the in-training examination (low score, < 20 percentile) and written board examination (low score, < 25 percentile) were collected for 513 residents from 11 university-based programs over a 7-year period. Mean in-training examination scores were compared for the high- and low-score written board examination groups. In-training examination scores were correlated with the written board examination scores. An odds ratio was calculated for the association between in-training examination and written board examination scores; this was adjusted for resident Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) status, clinical training prior to radiology residency, the year the written board examination was taken, program size, and regional location of the program.
RESULTS: The mean in-training examination scores were significantly higher in the high-score than the low-score written board examination group (P = .0001). There was a significant correlation between the in-training examination score and the written board examination score (P = .0001). The crude all-high in-training scores-written board scores odds ratio was 9.618, and the adjusted all-high odds ratio was 7.595. The final model included resident AOA status.
CONCLUSION: Resident average in-training examination score was a strong predictor of the written board examination score, as noted in the earlier report. The resident with a low in-training examination score is at risk for poor performance on the written board examination.