A comparison of performance on the OMSITE and ABOMS written qualifying examination

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to see whether there was a correlation between the performance of persons on the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery In-Training Examination (OMSITE) and their performance on the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Written Qualifying Examination (ABOMS WQE). Methods: All OMSITE scores for residents in their last years of training during the years 1992 to 1998 and their scores on the ABOMS WQE were tabulated by American College Testing (ACT) (Iowa City, IA) and submitted for analysis. The data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficients to determine any relationship between the 2 scores. Likelihood ratios were calculated to show the probability of candidates passing the ABOMS WQE based on their OMSITE score. Results: There were 765 scores provided by ACT for the years 1992 to 1998. A significantly positive correlation existed between the OMSITE and ABOMS WQE raw scores for those taking the ABOMS WQE for the first and second times, but not for subsequent attempts. Persons who scored a raw score of over 211 on the OMSITE all passed the ABOMS WQE on their first attempt. Those with a raw score of less than 134 on their OMSITE all failed the ABOMS WQE on their first attempt. Conclusion: A highly positive correlation exists between candidate performance on the OMSITE and the ABOMS WQE. (C) 2000 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.