The health sciences reasoning test in the pharmacy admissions process
Michael P Kelsch1, Daniel L Friesner1
1College of Pharmacy, Nursing, and Allied Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota.
American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education
|February 22, 2014
Summary
The Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT) effectively assesses critical thinking for pharmacy school admissions. However, its value is limited by overlap with the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) scores.
Area of Science:
- Health Professions Education
- Pharmacy Education
- Admissions Assessment
Background:
- Evaluating critical thinking is crucial for pharmacy program admissions.
- Traditional admissions criteria may not fully capture essential reasoning skills.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of incorporating Health Sciences Reasoning Test (HSRT) scores into Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) admissions.
- To compare HSRT performance with existing admissions metrics.
Main Methods:
- Administered HSRT to 122 prepharmacy interview candidates.
- Correlated HSRT scores with other admissions criteria, including Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) scores.
- Evaluated changes in candidate rankings with and without HSRT inclusion.
Main Results:
- Candidate rankings showed minimal change when HSRT scores were excluded.
- HSRT scores demonstrated a significant, high correlation with cumulative PCAT percentile scores.
- Identified substantial overlap between HSRT and PCAT assessments.
Conclusions:
- HSRT is a viable tool for assessing critical thinking in PharmD applicants.
- The redundancy between HSRT and PCAT diminishes the unique contribution of HSRT in admissions screening.
- Consideration of HSRT requires careful evaluation of its incremental value alongside PCAT.
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