J.T. Hanson is associate professor of medicine and associate dean for student affairs, University of Texas Health San Antonio, Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, San Antonio, Texas; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0591-9433 .
K. Busche is associate professor of neurology, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, and assistant dean, clerkship for undergraduate medical education, University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Acad Med. 2022 Sep 1;97(9):1374-1384. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000004754. Epub 2022 May 24.
This is the first multisite investigation of the validity of scores from the current version of the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) in clerkship and licensure contexts. It examined the predictive validity of MCAT scores and undergraduate grade point averages (UGPAs) for performance in preclerkship and clerkship courses and on the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 and Step 2 Clinical Knowledge examinations. It also studied students' progress in medical school.
Researchers examined data from 17 U.S. and Canadian MD-granting medical schools for 2016 and 2017 entrants who volunteered for the research and applied with scores from the current MCAT exam. They also examined data for all U.S. medical schools for 2016 and 2017 entrants to regular-MD programs who applied with scores from the current exam. Researchers conducted linear and logistic regression analyses to determine whether MCAT total scores added value beyond UGPAs in predicting medical students' performance and progress. Importantly, they examined the comparability of prediction by sex, race and ethnicity, and socioeconomic status.
Researchers reported medium to large correlations between MCAT total scores and medical student outcomes. Correlations between total UGPAs and medical student outcomes were similar but slightly lower. When MCAT scores and UGPAs were used together, they predicted student performance and progress better than either alone. Despite differences in average MCAT scores and UGPAs between students who self-identified as White or Asian and those from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, predictive validity results were comparable. The same was true for students from different socioeconomic backgrounds, and for males and females.
These data demonstrate that MCAT scores add value to the prediction of medical student performance and progress and that applicants from different backgrounds who enter medical school with similar ranges of MCAT scores and UGPAs perform similarly in the curriculum.
这是首次对当前版医学院入学考试（MCAT）的分数在实习和执照考试背景下的有效性进行多站点研究。它考察了 MCAT 分数和本科平均绩点（UGPA）对预实习和实习课程以及美国医师执照考试第 1 步和第 2 步临床知识考试成绩的预测效度。它还研究了学生在医学院的进步情况。
研究人员对 2016 年和 2017 年入学的、自愿参加研究并提交当前 MCAT 考试成绩的 17 所美国和加拿大医学博士授予学校的学生数据进行了检查，还对所有参加常规 MD 课程的 2016 年和 2017 年入学的美国医学院的数据进行了检查。研究人员进行了线性和逻辑回归分析，以确定 MCAT 总分是否在预测医学生的表现和进步方面优于 UGPA。重要的是，他们检查了性别、种族和民族以及社会经济地位对预测的可比性。
研究人员报告称，MCAT 总分与医学生成绩之间存在中等至较大的相关性。UGPA 与医学生成绩之间的相关性相似，但略低。当 MCAT 分数和 UGPA 一起使用时，它们比单独使用时能更好地预测学生的表现和进步。尽管自我认同为白人或亚裔的学生与代表性不足的种族和民族群体的学生之间的平均 MCAT 分数和 UGPA 存在差异，但预测有效性结果是可比的。对于来自不同社会经济背景的学生以及男性和女性也是如此。
这些数据表明，MCAT 分数对医学生表现和进步的预测具有增值作用，来自不同背景的申请人如果以相似的 MCAT 分数和 UGPA 范围进入医学院，在课程中表现相似。
