Predictive Value of the Admissions Process and the UK Clinical Aptitude Test in a Graduate-entry Dental School

Overview

Journal Br Dent J

Specialty Dentistry

Date 2015 Jun 27

PMID 26114703

Citations 2

Authors

J I Foley

K Hijazi

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Aim: To assess the association between admissions performance and the UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT), and subsequent achievement within a graduate-entry dental school.

Method: The study was conducted at the University of Aberdeen Dental School between 2010 and 2014. Student demographics, pre-admission scores (PAS), Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) tariffs, multiple mini-interview (MMI) grades, UKCAT scores and percentiles were correlated with academic performance reported as the University Common Assessment Scale (0-20).

Statistics: Data were analysed by Pearson correlation and multiple regression (IBM(®) SPSS(®) Statistics 21).

Results: Data were obtained for 71 students (F: 44; M: 27). Student age, MMI, UKCAT scores and UKCAT percentiles demonstrated a correlation with CAS scores (r(2) = 0.119, P = 0.001, r(2) = 0.136, P = 0.001, r(2) = 0.077, P = 0.019 and r(2) = 0.118, P = 0.001, respectively).

Conclusions: This study suggests that student age, candidate performance at MMI and the UKCAT might be a predictor of academic achievement for graduate-entry dental students.

Citing Articles

Assessing the predictive validity of the UCAT-A systematic review and narrative synthesis.

Bala L, Pedder S, Sam A, Brown C Med Teach. 2021; 44(4):401-409.

PMID: 34813410 PMC: 9162495. DOI: 10.1080/0142159X.2021.1998401.

Does the UKCAT predict performance in medical and dental school? A systematic review.

Greatrix R, Nicholson S, Anderson S BMJ Open. 2021; 11(1):e040128.

PMID: 33483439 PMC: 7825260. DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040128.

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