[Pre-entry medical student selection results in better doctors].

In the Netherlands, most universities use a lottery system, weighted by average examination grades, to admit students to medical school. However, the political climate for pre-entry selection procedures is changing rapidly. A study by the University Medical Center Rotterdam revealed that pre-entry selection reduces the medical school drop-out rate during the first years of medical training. This is an important observation. It is plausible that students selected by pre-entry selection are more motivated than students selected by a lottery system. However, it is unknown whether these students will also display better professional behaviour and skills in their future careers. Further research is required to determine which of the cognitive and non-cognitive characteristics relevant for predicting students' success in their future careers should be included in the assessment to optimize the selection procedure.