# The development and psychometric properties of a measure to assess the written submission of an admissions application

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a reliable and valid tool to assess non-cognitive aspects of health profession admissions applications.

## Contribution

The MOTWSM measure was developed and validated for evaluating non-cognitive criteria in admissions.

## Key findings

- The MOTWSM demonstrated high test-retest reliability (0.95) and acceptable internal consistency (0.76).
- Inter-rater reliability was strong with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.86.
- The measure showed good discriminative validity in distinguishing between applicants.

## Abstract

Health care programs evaluate prospective applicants using cognitive and non-cognitive criteria. The aim of this research was to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of a measure to evaluate the non-cognitive criteria of admissions applications.

A Masters of Occupational Therapy Written Submission Measure (MOTWSM) was developed and evaluated over 3 phases, using applicants’ written statements, resumes, and reference letters. Participants included 50 students who completed an occupational therapy program for determination of internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Additionally, 195 written submissions selected from the applicants who were admitted, waitlisted, and not admitted to the program were evaluated to determine inter-rater reliability using a two-way ANOVA. Analysis of 195 submissions using a one-way ANOVA determined the measure’s discriminative validity.

Results indicated test-retest reliability of 0.95 and internal consistency reliability of 0.76. Inter-rater reliability reported a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.86 using a horizontal scoring method. Good discriminative validity was established.

The MOTWSM is a reliable and valid measure that can be used to evaluate the non-cognitive criteria of admissions applications in health profession programs. Use of this measure can facilitate selection of the highest caliber of students.