Abstract
Objective:To investigate the predictive validity of Uniform Entrance Test for academic performance in the first two years in various health science degree programs.Methods:A retrospective analysis of admissions data and academic performance of students admitted in under-graduate programs of medicine, dentistry and pharmacy of three cohorts was taken. The independent and dependent variables were entry test scores and semester scores respectively. Spearman’s Correlation co-efficient was computed to determine the association between entrance test scores and semester scores for three groups.Results:Majority of the students were from the MBBS degree program (61%) with majority of female students (65%) in all three programs. In MBBS the highest correlation coefficient between entry test and semester scores was observed for semester one rs = 0.334 and lowest in semester four rs= 0.208. In BDS degree program both highest and lowest correlations were in semester one. In the Pharm-D degree program, a significant correlation was only seen in cohort 1 but not in the subsequent cohorts.Conclusion:The uniform entrance test has an incremental predictive validity for the MBBS and BDS programs as compared to Pharm-D. Better performance in the entrance test predicts higher semester scores and more likelihood of achieving higher scores in the first year as compared to the second year.
Highlights
Admission in health professional colleges has always been competitive
This study was conducted at Ziauddin University (MBBS, Bachelor of dental Sciences (BDS) and Pham-D programs).Ethical approval was obtained from Ethical review Committee (ERC) of Ziauddin University
The sample consisted of data of 475 students from three cohorts of students admitted in the programs of MBBS, BDS and Pharm-D at Ziauddin University (ZU)
Summary
Admission in health professional colleges has always been competitive. In Pakistan there is an increasing number of applicants aspiring to seek medical, dental and pharmacy education.[1] This is hand-in-hand with a rise in the number of institutes offering professional training. Programs aim to select applicants likely to complete the program requirements and demonstrate good academic performance.[2]. Used criteria for admission include academic ability judged by prior academic achievements and entrance test scores; personality, motivation and communication skills are gauged by interviews; awareness of health care related professions demonstrated by voluntary work experiences and involvement in extracurricular activities.[3]. Pak J Med Sci March - April 2019 Vol 35 No 2 www.pjms.org.pk 330
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