Evaluating Medical School Admissions Screening Measures to Promote Diversity While Relating to Future Clerkship Performance

• In Event: Admissions and Enrollment Management in Health Professions Education

Abstract

Medical education has traditionally based admissions screening on academic measures. Recently, non-academic measures have been used in admissions selection to promote diversity and graduate well-rounded physicians. This study examined standardized mean differences of two academic measures (GPA and MCAT) and one non-academic measure (an online Situational Judgement Test, Casper) between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students. Then logistic regression modeling was used to relate these screening measures to future performance during third year clerkships. The non-academic measure showed smaller effect sizes, 25-70% of academic measures, between disadvantaged and advantaged applicants. A one standard deviation increase in GPA related to a 17% increase in the probability of obtaining highest clerkship grades, followed by Casper (4%) and then MCAT (3%).

Authors

• Michael Woodson, Tulane University

• Ahmed Hussin

• Alexander MacIntosh, Altus Assessments