TP8.2.8 Medical School Selection scores correlate with MRCS Part A performance

Aims Selection into UK medical school involves a combination of three measures: prior academic attainment, selection tests (e.g. the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT), Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT), or Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT)) followed by interview. We investigated the predictive power of current UK medical selection tests and measures of prior attainment on success in the Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) examination. Methods The UKMED database was used to analyse A-Levels and medical school selection data for all UK graduates who attempted the MRCS Part A written examination (n = 9729) and Part B clinical examination (n = 4644) between 2007 and 2017. Univariate analysis and Pearson correlation coefficients examined the relationship between selection scores and first attempt MRCS success. Results Successful MRCS Part A candidates scored higher in A-Levels, UCAT, BMAT and GAMSAT examinations (p < 0.05) than their unsuccessful peers, but no differences were observed for MRCS Part B. Statistically significant positive correlation was found between MRCS Part A, BMAT (r = 0.32, p < 0.001) and GAMSAT scores (r = 0.35, p = <0.001). While a weaker statistically significant correlation was found between Part A, A-Level (r = 0.14, p < 0.001) and UCAT scores (r = 0.25, p < 0.001). Conclusions This, the first study to investigate the relationship between all UK medical school selection tests and success in a postgraduate examination found statistically significant correlations between selection test scores and performance on Part A of the MRCS. The strength of correlations found in this study are similar to those of other validated selection tests used in the United States.

221 UK Medical School Selection Criteria Predicts Success in Part A of The Intercollegiate Membership of The Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) Examination

Background Selection into UK medical school typically involves a combination of three measures: prior academic attainment, selection tests (e.g., the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT), Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT), Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT)), and an interview. We investigated whether prior attainment and selection test scores can predict MRCS success. Method We used the UKMED database to analyse selection data for all UK graduates who attempted MRCS Part A (n = 9729) and Part B (n = 4644) between 2007-2017. Univariate analysis and Pearson correlation coefficients were used to examine the relationship between selection scores and first attempt MRCS success. Results Successful MRCS Part A candidates had better A-Levels and higher scores in UCAT, BMAT and GAMSAT examinations (p < 0.001) than their unsuccessful peers. No statistically significant difference was observed for MRCS Part B. A moderate positive correlation was found between Part A, BMAT (r = 0.315, p < 0.001) and GAMSAT scores (r = 0.346, p < 0.001). A weak positive correlation was found between Part A, A-Level (r = 0.144, p < 0.001) and UCAT scores (r = 0.246, p < 0.001). Conclusions A-level results and medical school selection tests predict success in the knowledge-based (Part A) MRCS examination.

Performance at medical school selection correlates with success in Part A of the intercollegiate Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) examination

Medical schools in the UK typically use prior academic attainment and an admissions test (University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT), Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT) or the Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT)) to help select applicants for interview. To justify their use, more information is needed about the predictive validity of these tests. Thus, we investigated the relationship between performance in admissions tests and the Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) examination.The UKMED database (https://www.ukmed.ac.uk) was used to access medical school selection data for all UK graduates who attempted MRCS Part A (n=11 570) and Part B (n=5690) between 2007 and 2019. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models identified independent predictors of MRCS success. Pearson correlation coefficients examined the linear relationship between test scores and MRCS performance.Successful MRCS Part A candidates scored higher in A-Levels, UCAT, BMAT and GAMSAT (p<0.05). No significant differences were observed for MRCS Part B. All admissions tests were found to independently predict MRCS Part A performance after adjusting for prior academic attainment (A-Level performance) (p<0.05). Admission test scores demonstrated statistically significant correlations with MRCS Part A performance (p<0.001).The utility of admissions tests is clear with respect to helping medical schools select from large numbers of applicants for a limited number of places. Additionally, these tests appear to offer incremental value above A-Level performance alone. We expect this data to guide medical schools’ use of admissions test scores in their selection process.