Abstract
A discriminant analysis was conducted to investigate how an essay, a mathematics/science type of essay, a college scholastic ability test, and grade point average affect acceptance to a pre-med course at a Korean medical school. Subjects included 122 and 385 applicants for, respectively, early and regular admission to a medical school in Korea. The early admission examination was conducted in October 2007, and the regular admission examination was conducted in January 2008. The analysis of early admission data revealed significant F values for the mathematics/science type of essay (51.64; P<0.0001) and for grade point average (10.66; P=0.0014). The analysis of regular admission data revealed the following F values: 28.81 (P<0.0001) for grade point average, 27.47 (P<0.0001) for college scholastic ability test, 10.67 (P=0.0012) for the essay, and 216.74 (P<0.0001) for the mathematics/science type of essay. Since the mathematics/science type of essay had a strong effect on acceptance, an emphasis on this requirement and exclusion of other kinds of essays would be effective in subsequent entrance examinations for this premed course.
Highlights
In 2007, the Korean Ministry of Education prohibited disclosure of students’ percentile scores or total scores on the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), which was used as a university entrance requirement
Analysis of early admission data revealed no significant correlation between grade point average (GPA) and the essay and no correlation between the essay and the mathematics/science type of essay
Discriminant analyses showed that all F values were significant: 28.81 for GPA; 27.47 for CSAT; 10.67 for the essay; and 216.74 for the mathematics/science type of essay
Summary
In 2007, the Korean Ministry of Education prohibited disclosure of students’ percentile scores or total scores on the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), which was used as a university entrance requirement. The government’s goal is to diminish the impact of the CSAT when recruiting students, and it has encouraged universities to develop various other tools for recruiting students. Admission officers have found it difficult to choose among first-year applicants to pre-med courses at Korean medical schools because many applicants have earned the highest possible grades in subjects such as Korean language, English, mathematics, and science. Some admission officers have decided to use essays and mathematics/science types of essays when recruiting first-year students to pre-med courses. In this test case, professors volunteered to create and administer these tests
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