Can Multiple Mini-Interviews Predict Academic Performance of Dental Students? A Two-Year Follow-Up.

Prior research has shown that students' previous grade point average (GPA) is the best predictor for future academic success. However, it can only partly predict the variability in dental school performance. The aim of this study was to assess the predictive value of multiple mini-interviews (MMI) as an admission criterion by comparing them with the academic performance of dental students over a two-year period. All incoming undergraduate dental students at the King Abdulaziz University Faculty of Dentistry (KAUFD) during academic year 2013-14 were invited to participate in MMI. Students rotated through six objective structured clinical exam (OSCE)-like stations for 30 minutes total and were interviewed by two trained faculty interviewers at each station. The stations were focused on noncognitive skills thought to be essential to academic performance at KAUFD. The academic performance of these students was then followed for two years and linked to their MMI scores. A total of 146 students (71 males and 75 females) participated in an interview (response rate=92.9%). Most students scored in the acceptable range at each MMI station. Students' total MMI score, ambitions, and motives were significant predictors of GPA during the two years of follow-up (p<0.038 and p<0.001, respectively). In this study, MMI was found to be able to predict future academic performance of undergraduate dental students.

Gathering validity evidence in the use of multiple mini-interviews as an admission tool for dental students: Preliminary evidence from Saudi Arabia.

AIMS: This study examined the validity evidence of noncognitive skills of incoming students in the Faculty of Dentistry at King Abdulaziz University using multiple mini-interviews (MMI). Validity evidence in response process, internal structure and relationship to other variables was investigated. METHODS: A total of 146 students were interviewed by faculty members over a two-day period. The interviews took the form of an MMI, which consisted of six objective structure clinical examination (OSCE) stations with two faculty interviewers per station. Each student rotated through the six stations and were asked 4-5 structured questions per station. Each student was rated on a three-point rating scale. RESULTS: The majority of dental students were rated to be acceptable. The inter-rater reliability was 0.91 which was significantly high (range: 0.87-0.94). The total MMI score for all stations was 73.47 (SD = 8.49) with female students scoring significantly higher than males did (p < 0.001). Generalizability study results indicated good reliability (Φ-coefficient = 0.73; G-coefficient = 0.75). Moderate association was found between total MMI score and foundation year GPA (r = 0.30, p ≤ 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary validity evidence supports the use of MMI scores as an admission tool for dental students, with respect to its response process, internal structure and relationship to other variables.