Studio osservazionale comparativo su un campione di studenti del Nord, del Centro e del Sud con valutazione della Maturità, del Test di accesso e delle scelte di sede effettuate al concorso con graduatoria nazionale 2013-2014. Osservazioni preliminari.

In compliance with the new norms governing access to medical faculties in Italy, which foresee a sole national ranking list, a comparative observational study was carried out on a sample of students from the country’s northern, central and southern areas (888 in all), the aim of which was to appraise the students’ O-level marks, the results of their national entrance examinations and the particular university campuses chosen by them. The preliminary results, based on a direct survey carried out at the end of the month of November 2013, seem to reveal that: A) the students from the south obtained better O-level results than those of the centre and north; B) the students from the north obtained higher scores at the entrance examination compared to those of the centre and south; C) the few students from the south who chose to sit for the test in a northern university obtained very high O-level marks and also high scores at the entrance exam; D) the students from the south who chose universities in the centre and north were strongly motivated in their choice, while those from the north who chose universities in the central or southern areas, usually did so for reasons of necessity but, probably, spurred by equally strong motivations. These preliminary results need to be integrated with the definitive results of the ranking list which was completed on March 5th. 2014. Test on well-being and attitudes was administered to the students themselves, the results of which, correlated with these students’ entrance-exam data and future academic results, will be availed of to provide “evidence” helpful to the improvement of the national entrance examination.