Predicting a Rationale Weighted Criterion for Admission to Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

Undergraduate selection, especially for medical degree programs, is a challenging and controversial matter for both national and international institutions. The importance of this paper lies in trying to identify the process of selecting prospective students for medical studies in Saudi Arabia. The currently applied admission criteria are the weighted average score (WAS) of the three pre-university attainments, the general secondary school (GSS), the general aptitude test (GAT), and the scientific achievement test (SAT). There is a different weightage assigned to WAS throughout the national medical institutions. It raises concern about the scientific rationale behind the differences. The present research correlates longitudinal school and university data of medical graduates using a robust methodology of multinomial logistic regression in an attempt to find statistically significant ratios of WAS. A quantitative critique of the admission process was conducted for relatively large 440 graduates of the six-year medicine program, enrolled in five academic years. Several scenarios of admission criteria have been investigated for their significant association and prediction of the academic and clinical performance of medical students. The findings suggest several choices of WAS according to the decision of educational policymakers. The future implications that may influence forthcoming decisions regarding selection criteria are humbly offered. Keywords: Admission test, entrance exam, medical study, logistic regression, Qiyas tests, Saudi Arabia.