• Saira Rahim and Mahwish Arooj.
• Saira Rahim Director of Medical Education, Pak Red Crescent Medical and Dental College, Lahore, Pakistan.
• Pak J Med Sci. 2024 May 1; 40 (5): 901906901-906.

ObjectiveTo assess the predictive validity of Punjab Provincial Medical & Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT).MethodsA retrospective correlational study was conducted at the Fatima Memorial Hospital College of Medicine & Dentistry in Lahore, Pakistan. Data were analysed from 415 medical students who had completed the MBBS program from 2018-2020. Bivariate and multivariable regression models were used to adjust for confounders such as age, gender, city of origin, and pre-medical performance. A novel performance-trajectory analysis was used to evaluate whether students with different preadmission MDCAT scores had different performance trajectories in medical school.ResultsOn simple bivariate analysis, there was a weak but significant (correlational coefficient 0.22-0.33, p<0.001) correlation between MDCAT scores and professional exam scores for all years of medical college. However, multivariable analysis of Matric/Fsc track showed no significant correlation (p > 0.05) between MDCAT and professional exam scores after the first two years. For O/A level students, there was no correlation between MDCAT and professional exam scores for any year of medical college (p>0.05). Trajectory analysis showed that students with exceptionally high MDCAT scores had a superior performance trajectory compared to those with the lowest quartile of MDCAT scores while students with average MDCAT scores had overlapping performance trajectories.ConclusionFor students from the Matric/FSc track only, there is a weak but significant correlation between MDCAT scores and professional exam scores for the first two years. No such correlation exists for O/A level students. Exceptionally high MDCAT scores are predictive of higher achievement in professional exam scores.Copyright: © Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences.

4 keywords...

hide…