• David Wilkinson, Jianzhen Zhang, and Malcolm Parker.
• School Of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
• Med. J. Aust. 2011 Apr 4; 194 (7): 341-4.

ObjectiveTo determine the predictive validity of the Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences Admission Test (UMAT) for academic performance at university.Design, Setting And ParticipantsWe studied all 339 students who entered medical study at the School of Medicine, University of Queensland, directly from high school, between 2005 and 2009.Main Outcome MeasuresUMAT scores before entry compared with grade point averages (GPAs) during university study.ResultsMean overall UMAT score at entry was 60/100 and mean GPA during university study was 6.1 (range, 1-7), with a correlation coefficient of 0.15 (P = 0.005). This relationship existed only in the first year of university study. For UMAT Section 1 score, the correlation coefficient was 0.14 (P = 0.01); for UMAT Section 2, the correlation coefficient was 0.06 (P = 0.29); and for UMAT Section 3, the correlation coefficient was 0.09 (P = 0.11). UMAT overall score for men (60.2) and women (59.8), and GPA for men (6.1) and women (6.2) were similar. However, men performed better in Section 1 (mean score 61.6 v 61; P = 0.05) and Section 3 (63.2 v 60.7; P < 0.001), whereas women performed better in Section 2 (58.5 v 55.8; P = 0.009). In multivariate analysis, only correlation between GPA and UMAT Section 1 score remained significant but was weak and lasted for 1 year of university study.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that UMAT has limited predictive validity for academic performance.©The Medical Journal of Australia 2011

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