Academy MMT Pilot

03-Dec-2009

As you will be aware, the process of recruitment to CMT in 2010 will NOT include a knowledge test at any stage.  However, as suggested elsewhere on this website, other bodies are piloting such tests, one such body being the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.

The Academy is reviewing selection methods across different specialties, regions and nations, with a view to continuing the development of medical recruitment processes that are fair, consistent and transparent.  Part of their work in this area will be the piloting of a Clinical Problem Solving (CPS) test - and also a Situational Judgement Test (SJT), for Anaesthesia and ACCS applicants only - across a number of different regions in the UK, in order to evaluate their effectiveness as a potential part of selection in future years.  To pilot these tests, the Academy is inviting all doctors applying to CT1/ST1-level posts within certain specialties (including medicine) to sit this, and to ‘test the test’.

The pilot tests will be held on Friday January 8th and Saturday January 9th 2010 at 23 different locations around the country.  The tests will last a maximum of two hours - a maximum of three for those also taking the SJT - with a further fifteen minutes offered for candidates to give their views on the test and on the current process.  Rather than being old-style pencil-and-paper exams, these tests are being piloted in association with Pearson Vue, who are a company who presently produce the driving theory test, and provide centres where these tests can be taken on line.

We would like to emphasise that participation is entirely voluntary, and will not affect your application to CMT (or any other specialty) in any way.

As you can imagine, here at the RCP we are particularly keen for any research carried out into the different methods of medical recruitment/selection to be as strong, and therefore as informative and indicative, as is possible; so that we can continue to review and improve the methods by which applicants are recruited to Core Medical Training – both from the perspective of those being recruited, and from those doing the recruiting.  Therefore we are very keen to encourage CMT applicants to take part in this research, to gain experience of the test, and to give their views upon it.

While the prospect of volunteering two-to-three hours of your time to sit a test which does not affect your application may not be immediately appealing, there are a number of benefits to volunteers:

• Firstly, as you may be aware, other specialties do include tests of this nature in their recruitment processes – hence it is likely that you will encounter a similar test in the future.  Sitting a test now, with pressure off, will be good practice, will give you an indication of what to expect in future, and allow you to assess where your strengths and weaknesses may lie;
• Participants will all be provided with feedback on their performance, including an indication of where they ranked overall – thus you will be able to assess where you currently stand in relation to your peers;
• It may be the case that you currently hold strong views one way or another on the use of knowledge tests in recruitment; this pilot will be your best opportunity to examine whether your understanding of, and opinions on, such tests are accurate and valid, as well as your best opportunity to provide feedback and to have your views included in the analysis;
• All participants will receive a Certificate of Participation, which you can then add to your portfolio should you wish – this will be useful in future in helping you demonstrate your commitment to specialty, and interest in medical issues outside of those with which you come into immediate contact;
• All volunteers will be eligible for a prize!  This is offered as a ‘thank you’ from the Academy for taking part, and will be awarded to one randomly-selected participant;
• Lastly - as suggested above, the greater numbers who participate in this test, the stronger and more valuable the research and information that can be gathered on this test will be.  While it may not affect you directly at the present time, helping with research now will greatly improve the methods by which doctors are selected in future - which will of course benefit all involved within the health service and without.

To find out more on this, please visit the Academy website at www.aomrc.org.uk./specialty-training.html.

Should you wish to take part – from Friday 18th December 2009 onwards, please visit ww.pearsonvue.com/aomrc.  

Finally, for information, an article discussing the analysis of the 2008-09 pilot machine-marked knowledge test (MMT) in CMT recruitment can be downloaded from the Downloads page of this website (item #9).

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