Hierarchical models of pharmacy graduate performance on the national licensing examination: The importance of school differences

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships of selected characteristics of graduates of pharmacy schools to mean performance on the NAPLEX pharmacist licensing examination within schools. An additional goal of the study was to determine if the relationships between pharmacy graduates' characteristics and performance on the examination varied across schools as a function of several school characteristics.; Retrospective data were utilized to build hierarchical models of pharmacy graduates' performance for those taking the examination during 1998, 1999, and 2000. Data included examination total scores and scores for the three examination content areas, as well as data pertaining to pharmacy schools.; A series of models was built for each of the four outcome measures. The initial models provided an estimate of the grand mean and assessed whether there was significant variation in the outcome measure between schools. In subsequent models student characteristics were added to determine if the relationships between the student variables and the outcome measures varied across schools. Additional models included school factors to account for the variability across schools.; Generally, findings related to the total score and the content area scores within schools were similar. Student age, examination time, and test avoidance were negatively related to scaled scores within schools. Graduates of Pharm.D. programs outscored baccalaureate graduates, and males outscored females in all but one content area. Random effects associated with student age, examination time, and test avoidance were found to be significant for total scaled score and content area scores except for area 1, where the random effect for examination time was not significant. Schools with higher mean scaled scores exhibited stronger relationships between student age and the scaled scores.; Findings related to school characteristics suggest that research-oriented schools, defined as those offering graduate degrees in pharmacy and those schools receiving external research funding, have higher mean examination scores. Results suggest that more opportunities for undergraduate involvement in clinical research may exist in schools offering graduate degrees.