Grade point average is an inappropriate measure of a residency candidate's knowledge and skills

Accreditation standards set forth by the American Society of Health‐System Pharmacists note that postgraduate year one programs should have a formal process in place to screen candidates based upon predetermined criteria to ensure applicants have the appropriate qualifications to complete residency training. This standard encourages programs to have a set of consistent criteria and an objective approach to evaluate each applicant. As a result, many programs rely heavily on accessible metrics, such as grade point average (GPA), to quickly compare candidates. The GPA has many flaws that, if utilized by residency programs, could result in screening out highly qualified candidates early in the application review process who possess the skills that residency program directors covet, such as work ethic, passion, adaptability, leadership, research experience, communication skills, professionalism, cultural competency, and personality fit. To identify qualified candidates for postgraduate residency training, the application review process must be reexamined to promote a more holistic approach, going beyond the student's ability in the classroom. Further discussion is needed regarding the pros and cons of utilization of standardized and consistent assessments of residency applicants' knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes to complete a holistic review of candidates as discussed in this article. Further research is needed to identify the factors defining a successful resident and tools to predict those factors.