Abstract
BackgroundAlthough medical education has developed rapidly in the last decade, and the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) is used as the "gold standard" for admission to medical college in mainland China, there is a lack of literature regarding the influence of NCEE score and other factors on the academic performance of medical students. This study aimed to examine potential predictors of first-year grade point average (GPA) for medical students.MethodsThis study included 1,285 students who matriculated at a first-tier medical university in mainland China in 2011. The precollege motivational attitudes for each matriculate were investigated via questionnaire. A hierarchical linear model was fitted to regress first-year GPA on a 100-point scale on NCEE score and other student-level and major-level characteristics.ResultsNCEE score was a significant predictor of both within-major and between-major variation of first-year GPA for medical students. Majors with higher mean NCEE scores had higher mean GPAs, and higher GPAs were observed among those individuals with higher NCEE scores after controlling for major-level characteristics. First-year GPA differed by certain individual socio-demographic variables. Female students had a 2.44-higher GPA on average than did male students. NCEE repeaters had a 1.55-lower GPA than non-repeaters. First-year GPA was associated negatively with parental income but positively with academic self-concept.ConclusionsNCEE score is an important predictor of the first-year GPA of medical students, but it is not the sole determinant. Individual socio-demographic characteristics and major-level characteristics should be taken into account to understand better and improve the first-year GPA of medical students.
Highlights
Medical education has developed rapidly in the last decade, and the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) is used as the “gold standard” for admission to medical college in mainland China, there is a lack of literature regarding the influence of NCEE score and other factors on the academic performance of medical students
We found that first-year grade point average (GPA) was significantly associated with three socio-demographic variables, including gender, parental income, and NCEE repetition, while no significant association was found with parental education or residence
In the present study, we found that NCEE score was a significant predictor of first-year GPA
Summary
Medical education has developed rapidly in the last decade, and the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) is used as the “gold standard” for admission to medical college in mainland China, there is a lack of literature regarding the influence of NCEE score and other factors on the academic performance of medical students. There is a need to identify specific characteristics that affect the first-year academic performance of medical students. Such studies can help medical faculty and administrations provide better support services to promote. Bai and Chi [8] found that NCEE total and subject-specific scores can predict undergraduate GPA for all four years in the School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University. It remains unclear whether NCEE score can predict medical students’ subsequent performance. Further research based on appropriate statistical approaches is required and would inform the selection of the most qualified students for medical education
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