Success rate in basic medical sciences national exam among graduates and students applying for transfer to Iran

Background: In recent years, many Iranians have made educational travel to countries to study in the field of medical sciences. Considering the different educational systems and lack of comprehensive exams in some countries, the present study was attempted. Objective: To determine the success rate in basic medical sciences national exam of graduates and students applying for transfer to Iran. Methods: In this descriptive study 2621 students from Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Romania, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Philippine, who participated in the medical basic sciences national exam during 1998 to 2008, were evaluated and the success rate calculated. Findings: The highest and lowest success rates for countries with more than 100 participants were 48.6% and 27.4% for Armenia and Romania, respectively. Regarding the countries with less than 100 participants, the highest and lowest success rates were 55.6% for Belarus and 8% for Kazakhstan. Based on the field of study, the lowest success rate was associated with pharmacy (15.8%) and the highest with dentistry (38.9%). Conclusion: The success rates obtained for students from different countries evaluated were much lower than those for domestic students. The reason for this difference is likely due to inappropriate style of national exam with the training methods used for these students or the students’ poor educational performance to successfully pass the national medical exam.