Correlation of Academic Achievements with Cognitive Admission Variables and Demographics at Chungbuk National University Graduate Medical School

Purpose: This study was performed to identify academic and nonacademic predictors of the success of entrants to Chungbuk National University Graduate Medical School (CNUMS) during the first 3 years of completion.

Methods: We analyzed the academic achievements in preclinical education in the first 2 years in students who were admitted in 2005 and 2006 and compared them with cognitive admission variables and demographic characteristics.

Results: There was no significant difference in academic achievement between students groups that were classified by gender, age, or academic degree type. Among Medical Education Eligibility Test (MEET) subscale scores, Verbal Reasoning was correlated with 'Medical humanities & social sciences' and 'Basic clinical procedures;' Nature Science Reasoning 1 with 'Basic medical sciences;' and Nature Science Reasoning 2 with 'Basic medical sciences' and 'Clinical medicine.' Undergraduate GPA correlated well with all academic achievements. English test scores did not correlate with academic performance.

Conclusion: Among all of the variables that were examined, undergraduate GPA score was the most reliable variable in predicting academic achievement during the 2-year preclinical medical education, and MEET scores were a secondary indicator of academic achievement at CNUMS.