Ratings of clinical competence during residency were undertaken for graduates of two medical schools. Near the end of the first year of residency, supervisor ratings were made of 13 variables for 320 graduates in seven classes at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine and one class at the University of Iowa College of Medicine. Principal component analysis with varimax rotations was undertaken for the combined classes, resulting in two factors representing a clinical skills dimension and a professional behavior dimension. Virtually identical factor solutions were obtained for each of the seven classes considered separately and for the class at the University of Iowa, indicating the reliability of the factor structure. Further meaning of the factors was revealed by the pattern of correlations with various comparison measures. These results provide a basis for summarizing supervisor ratings of clinical competence of first-year residents. Additional work regarding the validity of these factors is needed if the instrument is to be used as an outcome measure regarding effectiveness of educational programs or as a predictor of subsequent physician performance. (Author/SW)