Are NBME examination scores useful in selecting radiology residency candidates?
RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: The quality of the graduates of radiology residency programs is powerfully affected by the quality of the candidates admitted to them, making the evaluation and ranking of residency applicants one of the most important tasks of radiology education. In the applicant evaluation process, evaluators frequently take into account applicants’ scores on the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) examination, operating on the implicit assumption that these scores help predict future performance as residents. The purpose of this study was to test that assumption. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using a data set consisting of information about 99 residents admitted over a period of 10 residency class years, the authors compared scores for parts I and II of the NBME examination with later results on the American Board of Radiology (ABR) written and oral examinations. Logistic regression was used to model differences in resident performance on the NBME and ABR examinations and
