Predictors of How Veterinary Students Perform on the NAVLE

Posted on March 1, 2011

A recent article published in the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) analyzed the relationships of common measures of student performance with scores on the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE).   The study was primarily carried out by Iowa State University (ISU).  Their hypothesis was that the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) and undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) would be directly predictive of scores on the Qualifying Exam (QE), and students’ veterinary school grade point average (VGPA), and directly and indirectly predictive of NAVLE scores.  Since VGPA and QE directly reflects knowledge of veterinary medicine, they also hypothesized these values would be stronger predictors of NAVLE scores than UGPA or GRE scores.

Data was collected from students who graduated from ISU and University of Minnesota (UMN) veterinary schools in 2009 and 2010 and released their NAVLE scores to their respective universities. GPA data and GRE scores were collected from students’ admissions applications. Impressions of the QE exam were collected via a survey. Statistical analysis was performed with a path analysis model.

They concluded from the study that GRE scores significantly and directly predicted QE scores, and indirectly predicted NAVLE scores via QE scores. UGPA directly predicted VGPA and QE scores, and indirectly predicted NAVLE scores via QE and/or VGPA.  As hypothesized and expected, since VGPA and QE scores are measures of basic science and medical knowledge most related to the NAVLE, these values were the strongest direct predictors of NAVLE scores.  The full article by J. Danielson et al. can be found at Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association 2011; 238: p 454-461.