Medical School Selection

If medical schools need to ensure that their
graduates possess the competencies necessary to
practice medicine, it makes sense that the medical
school applicants should be selected based on their
potential to achieve these competencies. Until very
recently, medical school selection has been mostly
based on cognitive abilities. Medical practice,
however, demands that medical students should master
not only cognitive, but also the non-cognitive
competencies; i.e. skills and attitudes.
This book delves into an experiment of designing and
validating a medical school selection test that
assesses the applicant s potential to achieve both
cognitive and non-cognitive competencies. First, an
analysis of the issues related to personnel
selection, together with a historical overview of
personnel recruitment is provided. Then, a step by
step account of designing and validating a selection
test is provided, with justification of each step in
the light of educational theory and practice. An
insight into such a process will be invaluable not
only to medical educators and administrators, but
also to those involved in personnel recruitment in
general.