Scientifically Blonde | Valuing performance over personality

Getting myself through medical school will be one of the most difficult things I’ll ever do. Getting myself into medical school will be a close second.

I’m only a sophomore, but I’m already worrying about my GPA, the countless letters of recommendation I’ll need, research experience, clinical volunteering, stellar extracurricular involvement and, of course, the imperious MCAT. It’s no wonder that at age 19 my doctor tells me that I have the stress levels of a 42-year-old investment banker.

So, when I caught wind of a proposal to introduce a new type of testing for med school admissions, I was all ears.

A recent study from the Journal of Applied Psychology suggested that the results of a personality test can be used to accurately predict success in medical school, spawning a discussion about putting greater emphasis on such tests as a tool for admissions.

At first, I was all for the idea of taking some of the weight off of the seemingly make-or-break MCAT, but after taking a closer look, it seems to me that adding personality testing to the admissions process would be pointless at best.

The thinking behind such testing is that it would help reveal in candidates qualities that are important to becoming and practicing as a doctor. The specific test that’s being talked about looks at the Big Five personality traits — extroversion, neuroticism, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness.

Do people really think we need an additional personality test gauge this? Seems to me that making a 20-something-year-old study for test that’s on everything they’ve ever learned in their core science curriculum is a pretty good way to assess conscientiousness. And making the test a single five-hour, multiple-choice examination can give a pretty good measure of neuroticism.

And besides that, how well do you think the unassailable Dr. House would score on tests of “agreeableness” and “extraversion?” If I’m sick, my mom can hold my hand, but I would want House to be my doctor, ­— hands down.

I understand that not everybody will value a doctor’s skill over personability. Those of us who don’t can rest assured. Gaye Sheffler, director of admissions and financial aid for Penn’s School of Medicine said admissions committees “all believe that personality characteristics are important in selecting future physicians.”

She explained, however, that committees prefer their own methods to assess a candidate’s personality.

Penn pre-health advisor Peter Stokes echoed Sheffler’s sentiment, explaining that in addition to test scores, “admissions committees take into account letters of recommendation, extracurriculars, how well the candidate has explored the profession and the impression they get upon meeting the applicant during the interview.”

And think about it: if these applicants could make it through four years of a hellish science curriculum, they’ll probably be able to figure out a way to cheat the personality test. Sheffler makes it clear that admissions committees are mindful of this possibility, speculating that personality tests, “may make students aware of certain ways to respond to specific questions,” allowing them to get the scores medical schools will be looking for.

Some proponents of the test still criticize admissions committees for viewing candidates as an application, not as a person. Stokes offered a viable solution. Instead of implementing an additional exam, he suggested that medical schools should look at improving the methods they already use to assess personal attributes. “If they don’t think that interviews are doing a good job at measuring personality, maybe they need to look at how they conduct interviews,” he said.

So yeah, getting a wicked science GPA is bloody hard. Acing the MCAT — near impossible. But adding a personality test to the admissions process won’t make it any easier, and it won’t help medical schools choose the best doctors.

Personality tests don’t have a place in medical school admissions, and they definitely won’t override a bad test score.

Sally Engelhart is a College sophomore from Toronto. Her e-mail address is engelhart@dailypennsylvanian.com. Scientifically Blonde appears on alternate Fridays.

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