RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Performance of candidates disclosing dyslexia with other candidates in a UK medical licensing examination: cross-sectional study
JF Postgraduate Medical Journal
JO Postgrad Med J
FD The Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine
SP 198
OP 203
DO 10.1136/postgradmedj-2017-135326
VO 94
IS 1110
A1 Zahid B Asghar
A1 Aloysius Niroshan Siriwardena
A1 Chris Elfes
A1 Jo Richardson
A1 James Larcombe
A1 Katherine A Neden
A1 Amer Salim
A1 David Smalley
A1 Carol Blow
YR 2018
UL http://pmj.bmj.com/content/94/1110/198.abstract
AB Purpose of the study The aim of this study was to compare performance of candidates who declared an expert-confirmed diagnosis of dyslexia with all other candidates in the Applied Knowledge Test (AKT) of the Membership of the Royal College of General Practitioners licensing examination.Study design We used routinely collected data from candidates who took the AKT on one or more occasions between 2010 and 2015. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyse performance of candidates who declared dyslexia with all other candidates, adjusting for candidate characteristics known to be associated with examination success including age, sex, ethnicity, country of primary medical qualification, stage of training, number of attempts and time spent completing the test.Results The analysis included data from 14 examinations involving 14 801 candidates of which 2.6% (379/14 801) declared dyslexia. The pass rate for candidates who declared dyslexia was 83.6% compared with 95.0% for other candidates. After adjusting for covariates linked to examination success including age, sex, ethnicity, country of primary medical qualification, stage of training, number of attempts and time spent completing the test dyslexia was not significantly associated with pass rates in the AKT. Candidates declaring dyslexia after initially failing the AKT were more likely to have a primary medical qualification outside the UK.Conclusions Performance was similar in AKT candidates disclosing dyslexia with other candidates once covariates associated with examination success were adjusted for. Candidates declaring dyslexia after initially failing the AKT were more likely to have a primary medical qualification outside the UK.