Development of new scales from test items usually requires several hundred cases in each of the defined groups. Application of multivariate techniques to existing test scales also encounters such problems as multicolinearity, combining ipsative with normative measures and ordinal with equal interval scales, differential prediction, and…

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 portion of a larger survey study of the socialization of law students is reported. Focus is on student perceptions and idealized views of law, lawyers, and legal education in general and changes in these attitudes influenced by exposure to law school over a seven-month period during the first year. (JMD)

This study determined how accurately high school students (n= 1119) report class rank on the Student Descriptive Questionnaire (SDQ). Official transcripts were analyzed to determine which rank category should have been reported by each applicant. The authors concluded students report their rank in class with a fairly high degree of accuracy.…

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…

Reports two studies hypothesizing that nonintellectual learning dispositions are as important as intellectual assets in predicting college student success. One study was conducted with 298 low-risk francophone students in Canada; the second involved 179 academically at-risk students in the United States. Implications of the results for selection,…

The impact of different admissions policies on Black, Hispanic, and White applicants was investigated, using College Board data. Five undergraduate admissions models were assessed. The single-index minimum model uses a single index, such as high school grade point average (GPA), to determine eligibility. The multiple-index minimum model uses two…

The relationship between academic success at DePauw University and such commonly used predictors as tested ability and academic success in high school was examined. The various subtleties of the multiple regression research method were also examined. Subjects were 1758 students who entered DePauw University during the fall semester of 1973, 1974,…

This brief explores the pros and cons of three alternative approaches to college admissions policies: race-based preferences, which are backed by most Democrats; class-rank plans (admitting the top students in each high school), which is backed by the Bush administration; and economic affirmative action for the disadvantaged of all races, which…

To study whether different forms of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) used since the mid-1970s varied in their correlations with academic performance criteria, 1975 and 1985 forms were administered to 1,554 and 1,753 high school juniors, respectively. The 1975 form did not have greater validity than the 1985 form. (SLD)

The current study examined the effect of high school graduation exams on states' graduation rates, states' aggregated SAT scores, and individual students' SAT scores. Three data sources were used: One source identified states requiring a standardized test for graduation; the NCES provided state aggregated data on graduation rates for the class of…

The relationship between scores on the American College Test (ACT) and grade point averages of first-time college freshmen after the first year of study was investigated by correlating ACT composite scores and grade point averages (GPAs). ACT scores and GPAs were obtained for 100 first-time freshmen at an urban state university in Illinois. There…

In 1992-93, high school and college forms of a questionnaire on rank in class (RIC), grade point average (GPA), and college admissions were developed and mailed to high schools and colleges. Usable returns were received from 2,175 high schools and 1,109 colleges and universities. To elaborate on questionnaire data, in-depth interviews were…

The sample for this study included 496 students admitted to a large midwestern university through the special admissions program. Validity coefficients of the Descriptive Tests of Language Skills (DTLS) subtests, the Academic Tests of the ACT Assessment Program (ACT), and high school percentile rank were calculated with cumulative grade point…

As part of an update of studies for predicting fall semester grade point averages (GPA) of freshmen at Indiana University, 4,260 freshmen entering the Bloomington campus in the fall of 1980 were assessed. Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores and/or relative high school rank (RHSR) were used to predict first semester GPAs. Three sets of equations…