BMJ  2008;336:691-692 (29 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.39519.621111.59

Feature

Medical Education

UKCAT among the pigeons

¹ Hertfordshire

The Medical Schools Council will be called on to abolish its controversial admissions test at the BMA Medical Students Conference next week. Jane Cassidy investigates

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The short life of the UK clinical aptitude test (UKCAT) has been a troubled one. The test, which some universities use to help select entrants to medical school, has been criticised for its lack of validity, an error in the 2007 marking system, and the fee imposed on candidates. And UKCAT is set to come under more pressure as the concerns are highlighted in 10 motions due to be debated at the BMA Medical Students Conference in Cambridge on 4 and 5 April.

An "appalling" error that led to the scrapping of a quarter of the 2007 test means thousands of candidates trying to get into medical schools this year may have been disadvantaged by being given one score, while the schools to which they applied were given another, says one motion. Another calls into question the reliability of UKCAT system administrator Pearson Vue, after its sister company, Pearson Driving . . . [Full text of this article]

What is UKCAT?

Selection lottery

Do aptitude tests work?

International experience

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Samuel, D. G (2008). Undermining access .... BMJ 336: 788-788 [Full text]  
• Searle, G. F (2008). ... and excluding the empathic. BMJ 336: 788-788 [Full text]  

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

UKCAT, BMAT, Gender and Ethnicity in Undergraduate Selection

George A Khoury
bmj.com, 30 Mar 2008 [Full text]

ULCAT underminding widening access to medicine

David G Samuel
bmj.com, 1 Apr 2008 [Full text]

Excluding the empathic

Geoffrey F Searle
bmj.com, 2 Apr 2008 [Full text]

More Research is Needed

Sarah R Wright, et al.
bmj.com, 12 Apr 2008 [Full text]