United states medical licensing examination scores as a predictor of performance on the annual council of resident education in obstetrics and gynecology examinations.

Objective: To determine how well the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 and Step 2 scores predict the performance of residents on the annual Council of Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology (CREOG) examination given to the residents at the second and third years of their residency.

Methods: USMLE Steps 1 and 2 scores from medical school were compared to the resident CREOG examination scores at the second and third years of training for 61 residents from 2000 to 2011.

Results: A strong, statistically significant (p < 0.001) correlation was found between the USMLE and CREOG scores, ranging between r = 0.588 and r = 0.667 for the USMLE 1 scores and r = 0.630 and r = 0.640 for the USMLE 2 scores.

Conclusions: This observation should be useful for program directors in selecting the future medical students for their residency program since those with high USMLE Steps 1 and 2 scores typically do very well on their objective testing during and after the residency.