Rethinking Dental School Admission Criteria: Correlation Between Pre-Admission Variables and First-Year Performance for Six Classes at One Dental School

2018 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 411-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin C. Rowland ◽  
Susan Rieken
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Mwila

BACKGROUND The Copperbelt University is the second public University in Zambia. The School of Medicine has four major programs namely; Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery, Bachelor of Dental Surgery, Bachelor of Clinical Medicine and Bachelor of Biomedical sciences. The Copperbelt University School of Medicine runs a five-year training program for both the BDS and the MBCHB programs. Students are admitted into the Medical school after successfully completing their first year at the Main campus in the School of Natural Sciences with an average of 4 B grades or higher (B grade is a mark of 65 to 74%). OBJECTIVE The study was done to determine the association between admission criteria and academic performance among preclinical students. Hence, the study compares the academic performance among preclinical students admitted into the Bachelor of Dental Surgery and Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery at the Copperbelt University School of Medicine. METHODS This is a retrospective cohort study conducted at Michael Chilufya Sata School of medicine Campus. A pilot study was conducted with 30 BDS and 30 MBCHB students and the obtained information helped determine the sample size. SPSS was used to analyze the data. The study period lasted approximately 7 weeks at a cost of K1621. RESULTS In 2014, there was an improvement in average performance between 2nd and 3rd year for each program. An average score of 15.4 (SD 4.2) was obtained in 3rd year compared to 12.8 (SD 4.9) in 2nd year (p<0.001). Meanwhile, 3rd MB ChB mean score was 12.6 (SD 3.7) compared to 10.7 (SD 3.6) in 2nd years (p<0.05). However, in 2016, both programs, 3rd year mean scores were lower than 2nd year (MB ChB 2nd year mean score was 12.0 (SD 4.3) compared to 3rd year with a mean score of 9.5 (SD 4.5), p<0.001; BDS 2nd year mean score was 10.6 (SD 4.0) compared to 3rd year mean score of 8.2 (SD 3.4), p<0.01. On average MB ChB students performed better than BDS students in all the years (p<0.05), except in 2016 when the results were comparable. CONCLUSIONS Results from the study shows that entry criteria has a correlation to academic performance as students admitted with higher grades perform much better than those with lower grades.


1975 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Gordon Pollock ◽  
Richard J. Bowman ◽  
Paul Gendreau ◽  
Lorna Gendreau

The study investigated the effectiveness of five methods of university admission criteria in relation to academic results achieved after one year of university study. The admission criteria used were open admission, interview, teacher recommendations, Grade 13 academic achievement and SACU test scores. In addition these procedures were compared with a traditional method of admission at the university where the study was carried out. The characteristics of the admission groups were not significantly related to geographical distribution, sex distribution, government financial assistance, and attitude and personality questionnaire data. These characteristics were no different for these groups than the traditional method of selection and there was no significant difference between groups as to final first year grade point average or academic penalty i.e., probations and rustications. The open admissions group compared favourably on these latter variables with other admissions groups and particularly with the university's traditional method of admission.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 108
Author(s):  
Abdulaziz Althewini ◽  
Abdulmohsen Alkushi

This study examines the relationship and correlation between initial admission criteria and  English performance of first year students at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. The performance of 1,595 English language students was compared to the initial academic admission criteria to determine if a correlation exists between academic achievement pre and post admission.  Admission criteria include high school grades, General Aptitude Test score (GAT), and Scholastic Achievement Admission Test scores (SAAT). Deep statistical analyses, including independent t tests and multiple linear regression reveal a correlation between pre and post admission performance. For this student population, GAT score was more predictive of English performance than SAAT scores, while the high school grade had no significant relationship to performance on the course. Furthermore, GAT had a higher predictive weight of 7% when compared individually with other admission criteria. However, in a combined model, all of the admission tests cumulatively predicted 17.3% of  English performance. Such power is relatively low and requires additional variables to accurately predict a student’s final English score. This study provides unique analyses of performance within the Saudi higher education system and provides insight for those teaching or studying English as a second language. This study is therefore relevant for educators in universities using English for the instruction of non-English, native students and raises questions as to the value of current admission criteria.


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