Only the best: medical student selection in Australia

Authors

Ian G. Wilson, University of WollongongFollow
Chris Roberts, Sydney Medical School
Eleanor M. Flynn, University of Melbourne
Barbara Griffin, Macquarie University

RIS ID

63651

Publication Details

Wilson, I. G., Roberts, C., Flynn, E. M., Griffin, B. (2012). Only the best: medical student selection in Australia. Medical Journal of Australia, 196 (5), 377-388.

Abstract

Over the past two decades there has been a significant change in the way Australian medical schools select their students. Where once a school leaver’s matriculation score was the predominant criterion,1 there is now a range of selection procedures for entry into school-leaver, graduate-entry and mixed-entry medical school programs. The change in selection procedures has in part been driven by a desire to assess broader suitability than just academic performance, and the need for medical schools to be socially accountable and reduce discrimination in selection procedures.2 We provide an overview of medical student selection in Australia, including the aims and principles of selection, the research into selection methods and limitations of that research.