Correlation between diagnostic assessment and academic performance of medical students

Abstract

Introduction: Medical students academic evaluation has been associated with a variety of factors, specially with high school previous knowledge (diagnostic exam); for this reason the description of the midterms outcomes from their previous knowledge evaluation will provide information to detect those students at risk of academic failure, and to offer some remedial options according to their needs.

Objective: To identify the relationship between the diagnostic exam outcomes and the grades obtained in their midterm exams form the courses taken during the first year of medical school.

Method: A correlational and comparative study from 6 590 students obtained from a six batch of students (2007 to 2012). Correlations were calculated for each batch, three different high schools programs and for the average grades in midterms obtained in the six first-year regular courses.

Results: Differences in the diagnostic evaluation were found in the three different high school programs (NO UNAM, ENP and CCH). Those from NO UNAM had the highest correlation values in the six basic courses and in the six different batches of students contrasted with ENP and CCH. Biochemistry had the highest correlations for in the three high school programs: ENP (ranged from 0.38 to 0.55), CCH (0.42 to 0.58) and NO UNAM (0.63 to 0.82), whereas Public Health had the lowest correlations with ENP (0.26 and 0.42), CCH (0.36 to 0.47) and NO UNAM (0.51 and 0.70).

Conclusion: Our results exhibit a correlation within the average grades in the first-year midterms basic courses and the diagnostic exam, information that in further studies could be useful to predict the academic outcomes and to offer preventive options to support those students at risk of academic failure.