Medical admission test is not a valid predictor of academic performance

In 2009, 14 universities in Australia and New Zealand used the UMAT as part of their selection processes for accepting students into medical degree programs.

Professor David Wilkinson and coauthors from the School of Medicine at the University of Queensland studied 339 students who entered medical study at the University of Queensland directly from high school between 2005 and 2009. The mean overall UMAT score at entry was 60 out of 100 and mean grade point average (GPA) during university study was 6.1 out of 7.

The study found only a weak correlation between UMAT overall score and program GPA, which did not continue beyond the first year of university study.

“The UMAT does not seem to have useful validity in terms of predicting academic performance at university,” Professor Wilkinson said.

However, Professor Wilkinson noted “we have only reported an overall GPA, and have not explored correlation between UMAT scores and individual components of assessment such as knowledge, clinical skills or professionalism.”

“Selection of students into medical programs continues to be controversial, with demand outstripping supply, and with a widespread desire to select those students deemed more likely to become better doctors.

“Further research is needed to determine whether UMAT is predictive of performance during clinical training at medical school, in postgraduate training environments, and in clinical practice.”

The Medical Journal of Australia is a publication of the Australian Medical Association.

The statements or opinions that are expressed in the MJA  reflect the views of the authors and do not represent the official policy of the AMA unless that is so stated.

CONTACT:     Dr Jenny Zhang                                                07 3346 4718