Medical School Admissions: A Review of Global Practices, Predictive Validity, and Practice Points for Africa.

Abstract

Background: Processes for selection of candidates into medical schools vary globally. Knowledge of the predictive validity of a selection method is important for policy revision.
 Aim: To survey the practices used by medical schools to select students and their predictive validity.
 Methods: Search terms developed from the research problem were used to search Google Scholar, PubMed, and Educational Resources Information Centre (ERIC). These were “medical school,” “predictive validity,” “success,” “academic achievement” “admission criteria,” and “student selection.” Retrieved articles were screened for relevance and sorted according to countries of publication. Authors narratively reviewed the articles from each country and collated the findings. Best practices were recommended for African-based medical schools.
 Results: Articles retrieved from 14 countries were included in the review. USA, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand operate centralized medical school admission programs and administer nation-wide admission tests. These tests cover cognitive and non-cognitive domains. The validity of these tests in predicting medical school success were extensively studied and reported. Other countries do not operate centralized medical school admission programs. Most of these rely on cognitive excellence to select students. Few reports are available on the validity of selection practices in Africa. Most rely on cognitive excellence which highly predicted academic success during preclinical studies. Predictivity decreased during clinical phases and non-cognitive variables became better predictors of success.
 Conclusion: Medical school admission processes should consider cognitive and non-cognitive factors. With non-cognitive factors, candidates with right attitudes are selected. African countries should align their practices to that of Western countries.

New medical schools in Sub-Saharan Africa –a cross-sectional survey of educational structures, operations, and policies

“…New schools can be innovative regarding student admission policies. In a review of medical school global admissions policies, researchers at Mulungushi University in Zambia suggested that schools in Africa should consider academic as well as non-academic elements in medical school admissions (Ezeala et al, 2020). While academic excellence may predict achievement in the pre-clinical stage, non-academic attributes were reported to be predictive of success in the clinical stages of training (Ezeala et al, 2020).…”

“…In a review of medical school global admissions policies, researchers at Mulungushi University in Zambia suggested that schools in Africa should consider academic as well as non-academic elements in medical school admissions (Ezeala et al, 2020). While academic excellence may predict achievement in the pre-clinical stage, non-academic attributes were reported to be predictive of success in the clinical stages of training (Ezeala et al, 2020). Using selection instruments based on a variety of factors, including socioeconomic status, can help select the most fitting candidates and fulfill a school's social obligation to include students from a variety of backgrounds.…”

Predictors of College Academic Achievement for Medical Students: The Case of Gondar University, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ethiopia

“…Student selection and admission policies and practices, according to many researchers, should be designed to ensure a good match between the applicant's abilities and aptitudes and the demands of the program. [1][2][3][4] However, there is little known about how Ethiopian Higher Education admission and placement policies and procedures ensure quality education in the face of rapid higher education expansion and high student enrollment.…”