Effect of the recently established admissions procedure on success in the first-year exams at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria

RATIONALE FOR THIS STUDY: The purpose of this study was to compare the success during the first academic year of students who underwent an admissions procedure (class 2005) and students of the three previous classes (2002-2004), who did not undergo an admissions procedure but took their exams under the same curricular framework. METHODOLOGY: Exam results of 802 students of the 2002-2004 classes were compared with those of 181 students from the 2005 class. RESULTS: Students of the 2005 class were more likely to pass all three exams given in the first academic year than students of the 2002-2004 classes (p < 0.001; OR = 3.2), and the quality of two of the three exams (indicated by individual scores) was also significantly better in 2005 than in the preceding classes (p < 0.001). In unselected classes, 25% to 31% of students showed no successful attempts to pass any of the three exams currently administered. CONCLUSION: The implementation of an admissions procedure measuring, among other indicators, academic ability has significantly improved first-year exam performance. Incoming students presenting with higher scores on academic standards are more likely to complete their courses successfully.