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Constructing a more comprehensive validity argument for medical school admission testing: predicting long-term
Clarence D Kreiter1, Junji Otaki
1a Department of Family Medicine , University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine , Iowa City, Iowa , USA.
Teaching and Learning in Medicine
|April 21, 2015
Summary
Cognitive ability tests are valid predictors of medical school success. Reducing their emphasis may negatively impact future professional performance, as supported by extensive research.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education Research
- Psychometric Assessment
- Admissions Validity
Background:
- Research outside medical education journals offers crucial validity evidence for cognitive ability testing in medical school admissions.
- Extensive validity research, including meta-analyses, confirms a strong link between general mental ability and job performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the validity evidence for using cognitive ability tests in medical school admissions.
- To assess the implications of reducing the emphasis on cognitive ability in medical school selection.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of validity research.
- Meta-analysis of studies examining the relationship between general mental ability and job performance.
Main Results:
- A significant positive correlation exists between general mental ability and job performance across numerous studies.
- External research provides substantial validity evidence for cognitive ability tests in medical admissions.
Conclusions:
- Recommendations to de-emphasize or eliminate cognitive ability tests in medical school admissions are not supported by the broader research evidence.
- Admissions strategies that lower academic aptitude levels may lead to diminished professional performance in medical practitioners.
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