The relationship between reading scores on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and scores on the Nelson-Denny Reading Test (NDRT) was investigated, along with the tests' predictive validities for medical school achievement. Although NDRT was better as a single predictor of achievement, it has limitations as a predictive device. (SW)

A study that addressed the question of whether coaching for the MCAT biases the relationship between test performance and medical school performance is described. The criterion used was whether or not a student experienced academic problems in medical school. (MLW)

The validity of the Medical College Admission (MCAT), undergraduate grade-point average (GPA), and "competitiveness" of undergraduate college in predicting the performance of students at a predominantly black college of medicine was examined. No differences between men and women were found in the validity of MCAT scores and GPA.…

The results of a predictive validity study of the new Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) using criteria from the clinical years of undergraduate medical education are discussed. The criteria included course grades and faculty ratings of clerks in internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, and psychiatry. (Author/MLW)

The relative utility of premedical grade point average in distinguishing among prospective medical students and predicting medical school performance was evaluated in students from two medical school graduating classes. The measure was found susceptible to several extraneous sources of variance that negate its effectiveness. (MSE)

The relationship of National Board of Medical Examiners Part III examination performance for first-year residents with performance on medical school preadmission measures, performance on prior NBME examinations, and clinical performance during medical school was examined. (Author/MLW)

A study to investigate the predictive validity of the New Medical College Admission Test, which is part of a longitudinal admissions research project at the University of Alabama School of Medicine, is described. The study serves a local purpose and also complements research conducted by the AAMC. (MLW)

Study to help provide a data base on which medical administrators could base their decisions on students' admissions and continuance credentials. (IR)

Reports a study that evaluated the efficacy of a nonranking grading system in assessing superior performance. (JT)

A statistical comparison of scores on the previous and redesigned Medical College Admission Tests showed that neither was a powerful predictor of scores on the National Board of Medical Examiners Part III examination, a measure of clinical competence at the first-year resident level. Other subtest results were also found. (MSE)

The outcome of a simulated clinical problem (drug-induced agranulocytosis) was compared with the outcome of similar cases in real medical service. The total performance of 100 sixth-year medical students at the end of their clerkship in internal medicine resulted in a mortality of 10 percent in the simulation exercise. (Editor/LBH)

Results of a study investigating the accuracy of absolute minimal performance levels for multiple choice examinations enhanced confidence in the validity of predetermined passing standards for the criterion referenced tests used by the schools of basic medical sciences at the University of Illinois. (JT)

A study investigated the incremental value of a medical reasoning aptitude test to predict students' overall medical school performance and knowledge and clinical reasoning during preclinical years and clerkship performance. (MSE)

The first systematic summary of predictive validity research on the new Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is presented. The results show that MCAT scores have significant predictive validity with respect to first- and second-year medical school course grades. Further directions for MCAT validity research are described. (Author/MLW)