Entwicklung und Erprobung eines Studierfähigkeitstest für den Studiengang Zahnmedizin

The aim of this study was the creation of an ability test for candidates for the field of study in dentistry and testing its significance of the forecast of the academic success. The success was determined by following marks: set up of teeth (pre-clinic), making of a crown (pre-clinic), practical preliminary medical examination in prothodontics, state examination in prothodontics and conservative dentistry. The collective of persons, who made the test on equal conditions, consisted of 228 students of the “Medizinische Zentrum für Zahn-, Mund-Kieferheilkunde Marburg” from the 1st to 10th semester. This collective represents a selected sample, because no statement could be made about the success of applicants having not gotten a study place. The learning effect was not validated as the probands performed the test only once. The test consisted of four subtests with the aim to check the following skills: comprehension of colour and form, visual perception, coordination of hand and eye and accurate working. The evaluation of the tests was made anonymously. The statistical evaluation of data was made with the help of the computer software Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Evaluating the Pearson Correlation and Spearman’s rho as well as multiple regression analysis showed, that the mark of the university-entrance diploma is not a significant predictor for the forecast of the academic success (pre-clinic, practical preliminary medical examination). In contrast, the results of the graphical tasks (linien_ges und zeichnen_ genau) are significantly associated with the grade in the state examination in prothodontics. Moreover it became apparent that the results of the task “comprehension of form” (form) correlates significantly with the mark for set up of teeth in the first semester and the mark for the practical preliminary medical examination in prothodontics.