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Establishing the criterion validity of the Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT)
Author(s) -
Coates Hamish
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
medical education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.776
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1365-2923
pISSN - 0308-0110
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2923.2008.03154.x
Subject(s) - test (biology) , context (archaeology) , psychology , divergence (linguistics) , value (mathematics) , medical education , selection (genetic algorithm) , predictive validity , criterion validity , external validity , applied psychology , medicine , psychometrics , social psychology , computer science , clinical psychology , statistics , mathematics , construct validity , linguistics , paleontology , philosophy , artificial intelligence , biology
Context This paper examines the criterion validity of the Graduate Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT), which has been used since 1996 in Australia and more recently in the UK and Ireland. The study provides evidence on the extent to which GAMSAT, in combination with grade point average (GPA) and interview scores, adds value to determining an individual’s capability for medical study. The study responds to increasing demand for information on the validity of selection processes. Criterion validity is important because it helps to empirically situate selection tests within their broader contexts by, for instance, providing an assurance to educators and the public that test results are valid and add value to selection decisions. Methods After introducing the rationale and focus of the study, the paper summarises the data and research methods, presents statistical results and draws conclusions that advance current insight into medical school admissions processes. The results are based on data from six institutions and 351 students. Results Analyses of GAMSAT, interview and GPA scores show, in summary, that: there are fairly high levels of divergence between these three measures; that relationships between the measures and Year 1 marks vary across institutions, and that a combination of GAMSAT and GPA scores provides the best means of predicting Year 1 performance.