PERFORMANCE ON THE NATIONAL BOARD OF MEDICAL EXAMINERS .1. EXAMINATION BY MEN AND WOMEN OF DIFFERENT RACE AND ETHNICITY

Objective.-To investigate the performance of men and women from Variou s racial and ethnic backgrounds on the National Board of Medical Exami ners Part I examination, controlling for any differences in measures o f educational background and academic performance before entering medi cal school. Design.-A retrospective analysis of existing records from the National Board of Medical Examiners and the Association of America n Medical Colleges. Setting.-National Board of Medical Examiners. Part icipants.-All students taking the June administration of Part I for th e first time in 1986, 1987, or 1988 and who were 2 years from graduati on from an accredited medical school. Methods.-Multiple regression met hods were used to estimate Part I examination group differences in per formance that would be expected if atl students entered medical school with similar Medical College Admission Test scores, undergraduate gra de point averages, and other prematriculation measures. Main Outcome M easure.-Performance on the Part I examination. Results.-There were sub stantial differences in performance, with white students scoring highe st, followed by Asian/Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, and blacks; within ail racial and ethnic categories, women scored lower than men. Contro lling for dissimilarities in academic background greatly reduced Part I differences among most racial and ethnic groups, except Asian/Pacifi c Islander men; unexplained differences remained between men and women . Results were consistent for the 3 years examined. Conclusions.-The r esults of this study do not imply that physician performance varies am ong racial and ethnic groups or between men and women; no written exam ination can measure all the abilities that may be desirable to assess. Validity research investigating reasons for the reported gender and r acial and ethnic differences in performance on the National Board exam inations should be continued.