The purpose of this study was to better predict how a first semester college freshman becomes prepared for college. The theoretical framework guiding this study is Vrooms' expectancy theory, motivation plays a key role in success. This study used a hierarchical multiple regression model. The independent variables of interest included high school…

Results of a national survey on collegiate use of class rank have been analyzed in terms of the chief characteristics that are associated with differences in a college's practice: 1) public or private support, 2) two- or four-year institutions, 3) size of enrollment, 4) section of country; tables and commentary explain the findings. (Editor)

Compared with data from civilian institutions, data from two graduating classes at the United States Military Academy showed extrordinary stability of independently calculated grade point averages from freshman to senior years and no decline in the validity of Scholastic Aptitude Tests and high school class rank as predictors of these GPAs over…

Reports study of 288 graduate psychology majors to determine what variables correlated with grade point averages in psychology. Reports three clusters of significant variables: (1) high school grades in verbal areas; (2) achievement in college general studies courses; and (3) mathematics aptitude and achievement in college. (CFR)

Six widely used college admissions variables and four course-specific measures (tests of entering mathematical skills and physics knowledge, and indexes of previous study of mathematics and physics) were correlated with final marks for 495 students in an introductory college physics course. The college admissions variables included scores on…

Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of high school students to calculate the actual improvement in freshman grade point average, college completion, and total years of schooling from colleges' use of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), Crouse compares predictions based on high school rank to argue that the SAT's costs do not justify…

Validity coefficients of the Descriptive Tests of Language Skills, the Academic Tests of the ACT Assessment Program (ACT), and high school percentile rank were calculated with cumulative grade point average (CGPA) at end of each of four years of college for 496 students entering through a special admissions program. The most valid predictor of…

The ability of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), average achievement test scores, and high school class rank to predict students' grades was examined for 3,816 undergraduate students entering the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) in 1983 and 1984. Results suggest that the SAT makes a relatively small contribution to prediction. (SLD)

The Ammons Quick Test (AQT) was investigated to determine the degree to which it could predict first-semester freshman year college grade point average for a sample of 63 specially-admitted Black female undergraduates. A multiple regression analysis indicated that the AQT did not appear to be a valid predictor. (Author/PN)

Three systems of class ranking (grades, test scores, and clinical performance evaluations) are compared, using 124 residents graduated from medical school. All three systems showed modest correlations with performance in residency, but clinical performance measures were most predictive. Reliable and valid deans' letters of recommendation could be…

An initial study of the revised (1985) Student Descriptive Questionnaire (SDQ) of the College Board found it to be of sufficient accuracy to fulfill its intended purposes. This second phase examined the adequacy of the SDQ in terms of the predictive validity of its student academic self-report information against a criterion of first-year college…

This study investigated whether or not the validity of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is both higher and less variable across colleges than it appears to be. Data from 99 validity studies conducted by the Validity Study Service of the College Board were used. In addition to test validities based on first-year college averages, which were…

An analysis of the new Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and its relationship to the criterion of class standing achieved in the school year ending in the spring of 1979 has been undertaken by the University of California, Irvine, to determine the MCAT's predictive power so that test results can be used in admissions procedure. (Author/JMD)

A study investigated the usefulness of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory in predicting college students' academic performance, focusing on whether the scores enhance the accuracy of traditional predictors such as college entrance examinations and high school rank. Results indicate the scores produce a slight but not significant increase…