The purpose of the study is to examine effects on study efficiency of specially designed

admission procedures, Step-wise admission, used for selection to medical education. In Step-wise procedures, written tests and interviews are used to assess personality traits such as motivation, social competence, patience, empathy and devotion. The selection of variables is based on assumptions about the influence of personal characteristics on success both academically and in the profession. By using data from a large-scale longitudinal project (VALUTA), the students admitted via Step-wise admission are compared to those admitted through regular admission, grades from upper secondary school and scores from the Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test (SweSAT). Efficiency in studies is measured by achieved credit points, interruptions in studies, drop-outs and obtained degrees. The results indicate that admissions based on the Step-wise procedures had the highest point production, in spite of lower grades, and lower SweSAT scores than the SweSAT group. Previous research has emonstrated that upper secondary grades and SweSAT scores provide good measures for predicting study success in higher education. However, in this study those admitted through grades obtain somewhat fewer points, and those admitted via SweSAT scores produce by far the lowest average number of credit points. Thus, it does seem quite interesting to investigate why the Step-wise procedure results in the selection of more successful students, and to look more closely into the relative importance of cognitive factors and other personal characteristics for achievement in medical education.