This study aimed to identify those features within secondary school curricula and assessment, particularly science subjects that best predict academic achievement in the first year of three different three-year undergraduate health professional programmes (nursing, pharmacy, and health sciences) at a large New Zealand university. In particular, this study compared the contribution of breadth of knowledge (number of credits acquired) versus grade level (grade point average) and explored the impact of demographic variables on achievement. The findings indicated that grades are the most important factor predicting student success in the first year of university. Although taking biology and physics at secondary school has some impact on university first year achievement, the effect is relatively minor.
Achievement ; Biology ; College Admission Test ; Curriculum ; Educational Measurement ; Health Occupations ; Humans ; New Zealand ; Pharmacy ; Students, Nursing ; Students, Pharmacy ; Students, Premedical

PURPOSE: This study was performed to identify academic and nonacademic predictors of the success of entrants to Chungbuk National University Graduate Medical School (CNUMS) during the first 3 years of completion. METHODS: We analyzed the academic achievements in preclinical education in the first 2 years in students who were admitted in 2005 and 2006 and compared them with cognitive admission variables and demographic characteristics. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in academic achievement between students groups that were classified by gender, age, or academic degree type. Among Medical Education Eligibility Test (MEET) subscale scores, Verbal Reasoning was correlated with 'Medical humanities & social sciences' and 'Basic clinical procedures;' Nature Science Reasoning 1 with 'Basic medical sciences;' and Nature Science Reasoning 2 with 'Basic medical sciences' and 'Clinical medicine.' Undergraduate GPA correlated well with all academic achievements. English test scores did not correlate with academic performance. CONCLUSION: Among all of the variables that were examined, undergraduate GPA score was the most reliable variable in predicting academic achievement during the 2-year preclinical medical education, and MEET scores were a secondary indicator of academic achievement at CNUMS.
Achievement ; College Admission Test ; Demography ; Education, Medical ; Educational Measurement ; Educational Status ; Humanities ; Humans ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Schools, Medical