Exploration of examinees’ traits that affect the score of Korean Medical Licensing Examination

Abstract

Purpose: It aims to identify the effect of five variables to score of the Korean Medical Licensing Examinations (KMLE) for three consecutive years from 2011 to 2013. Methods: The number of examinees for each examination was 3,364 in 2011 3,177 in 2012, and 3,287 in 2013. Five characteristics of examinees were set as variables: gender, age, graduation status, written test result (pass or fail), and city of medical school. A regression model was established, with the score of a written test as a dependent variable and with examinees’ traits as variables. Results: The regression coefficients in all variables, except the city of medical school, were statistically significant. The variable’s effect in three examinations appeared in the following order: result of written test, graduation status, age, gender, and city of medical school. Conclusion: written test scores of the KMLE revealed that female students, younger examinees, and first-time examinees had higher performances.