The American Urological Association In-Service Examination: Performance Correlates With Canadian and American Specialty Examinations

PURPOSE: To our knowledge literature that correlates American Urological Association In-Service Examination (AUA ISE) scores with performance on final specialty examinations is lacking. We report an analysis of Canadian resident performance on the AUA ISE in relation to the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Certifying Examinations in Urology (RCPSCE) and the American Board of Urology Qualifying Examination Part 1 (ABU 1). MATERIALS AND METHODS: During the 5-year period 1997 to 2001 AUA ISE scores were analyzed from 91 final year residents attempting the RCPSCE and a subset of 43 of the 91 (47%) attempting ABU 1. Blinded correlation of scores on the AUA ISE with RCPSCE and ABU 1 was performed. RESULTS: Final year postgraduate year (PGY 5) AUA ISE results correlated strongly with the RCPSCE (r = 0.68, p <0.001) and ABU 1 (r = 0.600, p <0.001). PGY 4 and PGY 3 scores showed a statistically significant correlation, while PGY 2 performance did not meet statistical significance. For the RCPSCE a cutoff point could be determined for pass/failure, namely an AUA ISE raw score of 43% to 55% equaled a 75% pass, a score of 55% to 70% equaled a 88% pass and greater than 70% resulted in a 100% pass. The probability of scoring 70% or greater on ABU 1 as a best guess estimate of successful certification could also be predicted based on AUA ISE raw scores. CONCLUSIONS: The AUA ISE is a good predictor of performance on Canadian and American specialty examinations with the strongest correlation in the final year of residency.