An approach to using noncognitive variables in dental school admissions

Dental school admissions committees continue to grapple with challenges associated with recruiting, admitting, and enrolling students who best meet the mission of the particular institution. For many students, particularly underrepresented minority students and those from non-traditional backgrounds, standardized tests such as the Dental Admission Test (DAT) are poor predictors of their potential for success. Noncognitive assessment methods can be used in conjunction with traditional cognitive measures in making admissions decisions. These methods have been employed by hundreds of higher education institutions, foundations, and scholarship programs, but are relatively new in dental education. This article describes a prevalent assessment model and discusses one dental school's implementation of the model, with the outcome of enrolling students from diverse backgrounds whose career goals parallel the mission of the school.