Relationships between preadmission variables and academic outcomes for postbaccalaureate students in medical school

Abstract

There is currently little guidance for medical school admissions committees regarding how to weigh postbaccalaureate program grades relative to undergraduate grades. This study was designed to address this issue. Admissions data, preclerkship course performance and United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) Step 1 results were analyzed over three years for University of California, San Diego (UCSD) postbaccalaureate premedical (PBPM) students (n = 25), students who participated in other postbaccalaureate programs (n = 34), and for the remainder of the medical students who did not participate in any postbaccalaureate programs (n = 329). UCSD PBPM program alumni did not significantly differ in their cumulative academic performance on exams in preclerkship courses and USMLE Step 1 pass rates compared to the rest of the class despite their significantly lower GPA, lower Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Math (BCPM) GPA, and Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) percentiles. For students who participated in the PBPM programs, PBPM program GPA was a significant predictor of preclerkship academic performance and USMLE Step 1 performance. When assessing academic readiness of applicants who have completed postbaccalaureate programs, admissions committees might closely consider the postbaccalaureate program GPA in addition to other academic metrices such as BCPM GPA and MCAT score.

Factors and barriers that influence the matriculation of underrepresented students in medicine

“…There is some evidence that standardized test scores and GPA do not necessarily correlate with progression through medical school. Indeed, students with midrange and lower MCAT scores also proceed successfully through their pre-clinical curriculum and pass their first licensure exams (USMLE and COMLEX; Capers and Way, 2015 ; Girotti et al, 2015 , 2020 ; Agahi et al, 2018 ; Busche et al, 2020 ; Schneid et al, 2022a , b ). A reduced emphasis on MCAT would capture more URiM students; however, the key role of the medical school must be recognized in supporting students with lower scores—a collaborative learning environment, diverse peers, and an experiential curriculum have all been highlighted as critical.…”

“…A reduced emphasis on MCAT would capture more URiM students; however, the key role of the medical school must be recognized in supporting students with lower scores—a collaborative learning environment, diverse peers, and an experiential curriculum have all been highlighted as critical. The demonstrated success of diversity-targeted pipeline and postbaccalaureate programs in preparing students for degree completion and success in medical school additionally points to the critical importance of improving study-methods and test-taking skills ( Giordani et al, 2001 ; Grumbach and Chen, 2006 ; Goode and Talbot, 2016 ; Upshur et al, 2018 ; Kadavakollu et al, 2022 ; Schneid et al, 2022b ).…”

Athletes in medicine: A systematic review of performance of athletes in medicine

“…Medical school and residency applications include standardised objective measures, such as undergraduate GPA, the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) or the United Stated Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), as well as a more holistic review of experiences, extracurriculars and personal attributes. A vast amount of research in the admissions literature has shown a correlation between quantitative academic measures and future success in medical school 2–5 . While admissions committees traditionally have placed greater emphasis on these quantitative academic measures, a holistic review has been shown to confer benefits such as increased diversity of matriculants 6,7 .…”

“…A vast amount of research in the admissions literature has shown a correlation between quantitative academic measures and future success in medical school. [2][3][4][5] While admissions committees traditionally have placed greater emphasis on these quantitative academic measures, a holistic review has been shown to confer benefits such as increased diversity of matriculants. 6,7 As such, in recent years the Association of American Medical College has encouraged medical schools to use a holistic review, which they define as a "selection process which takes into consideration applicants' experiences, attributes, and academic metrics as well as the value an applicant would contribute to learning, practice, and teaching."…”