Outline of the research project
The majority of Japanese medical school students will become physicians in the future. Consequently, the impact of medical school entrance examinations (hereinafter entrance exams) on society is considerable. The problem is that these examinations mostly focus on taking the measure of academic achievement. The Japanese government and the Japan Society for Medical Education have repeatedly made recommendations that the situation be improved. In order to satisfy them, other measurements such as interviews, records of high school activities have been introduced little by little in the selection process. In reviewing the methodology of examinations including ones for medical schools, three viewpoints are regarded as especially important: “reliability,” “feasibility” and “acceptability”
This website is aimed at discussing the validity of medical school entrance examinations in Japan from various perspectives and sharing information which will be helpful to explore an optimal way.
Points at issue
1. Validity of measuring high academic ability
In Japan, a rural quota system has been introduced as a policy measure whereby applicants from areas with a shortage of doctors are preferentially admitted to medical school, and in some universities such applicants account for the majority of those admitted. For example, must the entrance examination scores required of applicants under this special system be set at the same level as the examination scores required of those applying under the general admission system?
2. Effect of the education gap
Social inequality is becoming a major issue in Japan, and educational inequality is also worsening. The current medical school entrance examinations are extremely difficult to pass unless students are both among those gaining top grades at high schools oriented to preparing students for university entrance examinations and also have the opportunity to study test-taking strategies at cram schools. There are concerns that individuals from wealthy families and those from urban areas with large numbers of high schools dedicated to preparing students for university entrance examinations are at an advantage in entering medical school.
Policies for investigation
1. Collect and share information
Investigating the validity of medical school entrance examinations is no easy task. Theoretically, it is necessary to define and measure the final outcome of entrance examinations. For example, if the purpose of an entrance examination is to select the students with the appropriate characteristics to become doctors, the pass rate for the National Medical Licensing Examination might constitute an indicator.
However, this is only a small part of the outcome that is actually required. In addition, there is a paucity of sociological information concerning medical school entrance examinations, such as that in relation to educational inequality, and its assessment is difficult. We will begin by collecting and sharing information.
2. Expand our outlook by including international comparisons
Globally, the methods of selecting students for admission to medical school are extremely varied. In Japanese university entrance examinations, however, large numbers of applicants solve the same problems on paper tests simultaneously, and whether they pass or fail is determined by their score; from some points of view, the clarity of this method has been praised as a fair one-shot chance. We will broaden our perspective through making international comparisons, and identify our respective distinguishing characteristics and issues.
