The Importance of O - Level Grades in MedicalSchool Admission: The University of Ado - Ekiti Experience

This paper describes the procedures used in the admission of the first set of Medical Students into the newly established College of Medicine, University of Ado - Ekiti. Two groups of students were admitted, namely, those admitted on the basis of their JAMB scores alone (five students) and those admitted on the basis of a combination of JAMB scores and O' level grades in Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics. In the latter group, the JAMB scores and O' level grades were given equal weighting (50% of mark obtainable each) and all applicants were ranked on the basis of their combined scores. The 127 top scorers based on this ranking were given a written interview test and an oral interview. At the end of the exercise, 40 candidates were admitted. Eventually, 31 of this group and four out of the five candidates admitted with JAMB scores alone registered for 100 Level courses. A comparison of the academic performance of the two groups of students in science and General Studies courses at 100 Level showed that all students in the JAMB and O' level group were far better than students in the JAMB alone group. Indeed, the former group had outstanding performance while 50% of the latter group could not cope. It was concluded that the use of O' level grades is very important and effective in selecting academically sound students and should be used in admissions into Medical Schools.

Keywords
JAMB, O' level grades, Medical school, Admission, Interview, Academic achievement, Ado-Ekiti