A comparison of interviewed and non-interviewed student cohorts for the PA program of study and national physician assistant certification exam scores

Traditionally, individuals who choose a medical career know that they must meet specific program requirements in order to be considered a competitive prospective student. The criterion used by the majority of professional college programs includes the following elements: grade point average, standardized tests, health care experience and in-person interviews. Most programs weight the undergraduate grade point averages and the standardized tests scores more because of their presumed ability to predict success, thus leaving the question of importance of the other elements. This research explored the importance of the in-person interview as it relates to performance on the Physician Assistant National Certification Exam (NCCPA).