Constructing a more comprehensive validity argument for medical school admission testing: predicting long-term outcomes.

ISSUE: The research published outside of medical education journals provides an important source of validity evidence for using cognitive ability testing in medical school admissions.

EVIDENCE: The cumulative body of validity research, consisting of thousands of studies and scores of meta-analyses, has conclusively demonstrated that a strong positive relationship exists between job performance and general mental ability.

IMPLICATIONS: Recommendations for reducing the emphasis on or eliminating the role of general mental ability in the selection process for medical schools are not based on a consideration of the wider research evidence. Admission interventions that substantially reduce the level of academic aptitude are also likely to result in reduced professional performance.