Abstract
Objectives:This study was conducted to adduce evidence of validity for admissions tests and processes and for identifying a parsimonious model that predicts students’ academic achievement in Medical College.Methods:Psychometric study done on admission data and assessment scores for five years of medical studies at Aga Khan University Medical College, Pakistan using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structured equation modeling (SEM). Sample included 276 medical students admitted in 2003, 2004 and 2005.Results:The SEM supported the existence of covariance between verbal reasoning, science and clinical knowledge for predicting achievement in medical school employing Maximum Likelihood (ML) estimations (n=112). Fit indices: χ2 (21) = 59.70, p =<.0001; CFI=.873; RMSEA = 0.129; SRMR = 0.093.Conclusions:This study shows that in addition to biology and chemistry which have been traditionally used as major criteria for admission to medical colleges in Pakistan; mathematics has proven to be a better predictor for higher achievements in medical college.
Highlights
Selecting candidates most suitable for the study and practice of medicine has been a challenge for educators
A stable and incremental trend was seen in the number of students from British system of education (63% of those admitted in 2003 to 87% in 2005) with both General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) Ordinary level (O‐level) and Advanced level (A-level) certificates while 4-7% of those admitted studied in a mixed system
As most of the students getting admitted in Aga Khan University (AKU) have early education in the GCSE system, the results are more comparable to studies reported by UK
Summary
Selecting candidates most suitable for the study and practice of medicine has been a challenge for educators. The selection criteria used by different institutions comprises of assessment of cognitive and noncognitive domains and scores on tests of prior attainment, standardized written admission tests and interviews, quality of undergraduate medical institution, referral letters, personal statements, extracurricular activities and interests, personality, motivation, language and communication skills.[1,2,3,4,5] Effectiveness of selection has been studied by correlating the above with scholastic performance during medical school[1,2,3] at licensing examination and during residency education.[4,6,7]. Applicants come from the British General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) and the Pakistani Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) system with few from other international systems
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