Relationship between past academic performance and results of specialty in-training examinations

In this study, the authors review the records of 63 graduates of Northwestern University Medical School who were residents in its graduate medical education programs of anesthesia and orthopedic surgery. They examine the relationship among college grades, medical school performance, and the results of assessment by annual, nationwide, medical specialty in-training examinations. For the anesthesia group, the best predictors of in-training examination performance were the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) Verbal Ability score, the college grade-point average for nonscience subjects, and the MCAT Science, General Information, and Quantitative Ability scores. For the orthopedic group, the best predictors were the MCAT Verbal Ability score, the college grade-point average in nonscience subjects, the MCAT Science score, and the National Board of Medical Examiners Part I and Part II examination scores. The previous academic records for the 63 residents contained little to presage results in the in-training examination. The correlation obtained between nonscience college subjects and the in-training examination results was negative.