Gifted Students' Academic Performance in Medical School: A Study of Olympiad Winners

Background: The present study examines the performance of academically talented students (i.e., those who received awards in Olympiads, the international competitions for gifted students in science or mathematics) in medical school. Purpose: The goal is to investigate whether students exceptionally talented in science and mathematics excel in medical school. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 13 cohorts of medical students (N = 475) was conducted to compare learning outcomes of academically talented students (ATS) with their peers in terms of their grade point averages (GPAs) and national licensing exam (KMLE) scores. Results: ATS outperformed their peers in total GPAs (p < .001); yet there was a statistical trend of gradually diminishing performance gap between the groups as they progressed into the later years of the program. KMLE scores were comparable between the groups (p = .89). In addition, there was no significant difference in GPAs and KLME scores among ATS regardless of their areas of excellence. Conclusions: Academic merit alone is not a strong predictor of success in medical school, even among those with exceptional talent. Better understanding of nonacademic factors associated with medical school performance is warranted to improve our selection processes and to better help academically talented students succeed in medical school.