Predictive validity of the Biomedical Admissions Test: An evaluation and case study

I. C. McManus University College London, UK; CHRIS MCMANUS, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Psychology and Medical Education at University College London, UK.Correspondence[email protected]

Eamonn Ferguson University of Nottingham, UK; EAMONN FERGUSON, PhD, is a Professor of Health Psychology at the University of Nottingham, UK.

Richard Wakeford University of Cambridge, UK; RICHARD WAKEFORD, MA, is a fellow of Hughes Hall and Affiliated Lecturer in assessment at Cambridge University. He acts as a consultant in assessment to a number of medical Royal Colleges and non-medical bodies, and is Training Programme Director of the Huntingdon GP Vocational Training.

David Powis University of Newcastle, Australia; DAVID POWIS, PhD, is a Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.

David James Queens Medical Centre, UK; DAVID JAMES, MD, is Emeritus Professor of Fetomaternal Medicine and was Foundation Director of Medical Education at the University of Nottingham Medical School.

Abstract

There has been an increase in the use of pre-admission selection tests for medicine. Such tests need to show good psychometric properties. Here, we use a paper by Emery and Bell [2009. The predictive validity of the Biomedical Admissions Test for pre-clinical examination performance. Med Educ 43:557–564] as a case study to evaluate and comment on the reporting of psychometric data in the field of medical student selection (and the comments apply to many papers in the field). We highlight pitfalls when reliability data are not presented, how simple zero-order associations can lead to inaccurate conclusions about the predictive validity of a test, and how biases need to be explored and reported. We show with BMAT that it is the knowledge part of the test which does all the predictive work. We show that without evidence of incremental validity it is difficult to assess the value of any selection tests for medicine.

Notes

1. http://www.admissionstests.cambridgeassessment.org.uk/adt/bmat/about (accessed 17 June 2010).

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Order Reprints Request Corporate Permissions

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

Request Academic Permissions

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.

Predictive validity of the Biomedical Admissions Test: An evaluation and case study

Information for

Open access

Opportunities

Help and information

Predictive validity of the Biomedical Admissions Test: An evaluation and case study

Abstract

Notes

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Academic Permissions

Related research

To cite this article:

Download citation

Information for

Open access

Opportunities

Help and information

Keep up to date

Your download is now in progress and you may close this window

Login or register to access this feature