Correlation of scores for the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination with osteopathic medical school grades.
The authors evaluated construct validity of scores for the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX-USA), the examination used to evaluate osteopathic physicians for licensure. They computed correlations between students' grades in the first 2 years of osteopathic medical school and their scores on the COMPLEX-USA Level 1 (N = 187) and Level 2 (N = 86), as well as correlations between third- and fourth-year clerkship grades and the COMLEX-USA Level 2. Correlations of Level 1 scores with grades for years one, two, and the first 2 years combined were .74, .80, and .81, respectively; for Level 2, correlations were .59, .70, and .71. Correlation between clerkship grades and scores for the COMLEX-USA Level 2 was .26. The strong correlation between COMLEX-USA results and grades for the didactic curriculum in the first 2 years of medical school provides evidence for the construct validity of scores for the COMLEX-USA Levels 1 and 2.
Hartman
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Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, University of New England, Biddeford, ME 04005, USA. shartman@mailbox.une.edu
Bates
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Sprafka
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D000328:Adult; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000592:standards*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008007:Licensure, Medical / Q000592:standards*; D008297:Male; D010021:Osteopathic Medicine / Q000193:education* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014481:United States