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Meta-Analysis
. 2021 Jan 22;11(1):e040128.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040128.

Does the UKCAT predict performance in medical and dental school? A systematic review

Rachel Greatrix  1 , Sandra Nicholson  2 , Susan Anderson  3
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Does the UKCAT predict performance in medical and dental school? A systematic review

Rachel Greatrix et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Objectives: For the first time, this systematic review provides a summary of the literature exploring the relationship between performance in the UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) and assessments in undergraduate medical and dental training.

Design: In accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis, relevant studies were identified through systematic literature searches. Electronic searches were carried out on EBSCO, EMBASE, Educational Resources Information Centre, SCOPUS, Web of Knowledge. Studies which included the predictive validity of selection criteria including some element of the UKCAT were considered.

Results: 22 papers were identified for inclusion in the study. Four studies describe outcomes from dental programmes with limited results reported. 18 studies reported on relationships between the UKCAT and performance in undergraduate medical training. Of these, 15 studies reported relationships between the UKCAT cognitive tests and undergraduate medical assessments. Weak relationships (r=0.00-0.29) were observed in 14 of these studies; four studies reported some moderate relationships (r=0.30-0.49). The strongest relationships with performance in medical school were observed for the UKCAT total score and the verbal reasoning subtest. Relationships with knowledge-based assessments scores were higher than those for assessments of skills as the outcome. Relationships observed in small (single and double centre studies) were larger than those observed in multicentre studies.

Conclusion: The results indicate that UKCAT scores predict performance in medical school assessments. The relationship is generally weak, although noticeably stronger for both the UKCAT total score and the verbal reasoning subtest. There is some evidence that UKCAT continues to predict performance throughout medical school. We recommend more optimal approaches to future studies. This assessment of existing evidence should assist medical/dental schools in their evaluation of selection processes.

Keywords: education & training (see medical education & training); medical education & training; statistics & research methods.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: RG is the (paid) Chief Operating Officer of the UCAT Consortium. SN was an unpaid member of the Board of the UCAT Consortium from 2008 to 2019.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram of paper selection process using databases.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flow diagram of outcomes from review of grey literature.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Relationships between UKCAT cognitive Subtests and all assessments. UKCAT, UK Clinical Aptitude Test.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Relationships between UKCAT cognitive Subtests and assessments of knowledge. UKCAT, UK Clinical Aptitude Test.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Relationships between UKCAT cognitive Subtests and assessments of skills. UKCAT, UK Clinical Aptitude Test.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Relationships between UKCAT cognitive Subtests and mixed assessments (combining both knowledge and skills). UKCAT, UK Clinical Aptitude Test.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Relationships between UKCAT total score and assessments outcomes by study size. UKCAT, UK Clinical Aptitude Test.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • UKCAT scores vs performance.
    Wadia R. Wadia R. Br Dent J. 2021 Feb;230(4):228. doi: 10.1038/s41415-021-2743-3. Br Dent J. 2021. PMID: 33637923 No abstract available.

References

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