Undergraduate grades and the Miller Analogies Test as predictors of graduate success.

Ss were "124 students who entered the graduate program at the University of Michigan during the years 1951 through 1955… . Information available on each applicant at the time of entrance included the following measures": total undergraduate grade point average (GPA), undergraduate GPA in science and mathematics, undergraduate GPA in psychology courses, MAT score, objective comprehensive examination in psychology. Measures of "success" included: GPA in graduate courses, marks on doctoral preliminary examinations, faculty ratings of potential professional contribution and potential scientific contribution. 6 tables of results are presented. The best predictor of marks in graduate courses was undergraduate GPA in science courses; it also best predicted preliminary examination grades. "The MAT significantly predicted graduate course grades and was the best predictor of potential scientific contribution of the student." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The graduate record examination and selection of graduate students.

The sample was comprised of 50 students who entered the graduate program of the University of Florida between 1955 and 1959. The GRE Verbal and Quantitative aptitude scores were available on all of these students, and a complete undergraduate record on 38 of the 50 students… . Nine of the 11 full-time faculty were asked to rate each student." Only the GPA in math-science courses correlated significantly (.37) with the staff ratings. The "combination of X̄ GRE and GPA (math-science) yielded a multiple correlation of .46 with faculty ratings. Thus, combining these two predictors would be a definite improvement over selection based on either one alone." From Psyc Abstracts 36:04:4KJ48R. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The GRE Psychology Test as an unobstrusive measure of motivation.

The Psychology Achievement Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE-P) and failure to prepare for it may serve as an unobstrusive measure of motivation necessary for success in graduate school whether or not the content of the test taps abilities necessary for success. To test this hypothesis, records of 31 male graduate psychology students were obtained. Predictors included GRE-P, GRE Verbal and Quantitative Aptitude Test, Miller Analogies Test (MAT), undergraduate overall and undergraduate psychology GPA, and number of psychology courses taken prior to the GRE. Criteria included percentage of "A" grades in graduate school and graduation vs. termination. Only GRE-P and a difference score consisting of GRE-P minus MAT showed significant validity against the criteria. The results were interpreted as supporting the hypothesis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Selection of graduate students in clinical psychology: Use of cutoff scores and interviews.

The use of cutoff scores and interviews in the selection of graduate students in clinical psychology has been debated extensively, but researchers in only a few empirical studies have looked at these issues. We examined the selection process for clinical psychology students at Boston University, in which an interview was used and a quantitative cutoff score was not used. We analyzed scores of 357 applicants on Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) and Miller Analogy Tests (MAT), grade point averages (GPA), and interview ratings. We found that the major criteria for invitation to an interview were GREs and GPA, though no quantitative cutoff had been used. The use of such a cutoff would result in no difference in selection of applicants. Reliability of interview ratings was moderately high, contrary to results of previous studies. Replications of this study would add to its generalizability and argue for the use of the cutoff and further consideration of the interview. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Graduate student success in psychology.

Studied all graduate students who entered the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 1965 through 1970 with respect to their success as graduate students. The predictors were the standard admission variables (e.g., Graduate Record Examination scores, undergraduate grades). The criteria included obtaining the doctorate, time taken to obtain the degree, and type and number of publications after the doctorate. As predicted, the standard ability variables correlated with early graduate school success criteria, such as 1st-year grades. In addition, peer ratings of need for achievement, conscientiousness, and commitment to psychology emerged as important predictors of later success. Sex differences were less than anticipated, although proportionally fewer women completed the degree than men. Data suggest the possibility of using a multiple-hurdles model for graduate school selection and retention, with the hurdles being defined throughout the student's career. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in neurokinin A (NKA) airway responsiveness with inhaled frusemide in asthma

OBJECTIVE: The relationships between clinical outcomes and predictors used to screen applicants for entrance into a Master in Occupational Therapy (MOT) program were examined. METHOD: MOT student records from 1986 to 1992 were used to gather data for three dependent variables and six predictor (independent) variables. The dependent variables used to gauge student success were grade point average in occupational therapy courses (OT-GPA), client attendance at an on-site clinic, and therapy outcomes of clients at that clinic. The predictor variables were undergraduate GPA, scores on the three sections of the Graduate Record Examination, reference forms, and essays. RESULTS: The models used to predict OT-GPA and therapy outcomes were significant (p < .05), and the incremental validity of several predictors was established. The model used to predict client attendance was not significant. CONCLUSION: The findings regarding OT-GPA support the continued use of all the predictors except the reference forms. Although it was possible to develop a model to predict client outcomes, the usefulness of the model is difficult to interpret.     

GRE predictive validity in a Master's program in clinical psychology.

Presents predictive validity data for GRE scores collected in the Master's program in clinical psychology at Acadia University. The program typically admits 4 or 5 students per year, and the current sample consists of 37 students (29 females, 8 males) who have completed their 2-yr residency requirement in the program over the past 10 years. Upon application, 12 of the admitted students did not provided GRE scores, and of the other 25, 4 did not write the Advanced test in psychology. Cumulative undergraduate 4-point GPAs and 4 GRE scores were used as predictors, and these means are lower than would be found in PhD graduate programs in larger schools or PhD-level programs. Outcome variables were whether students were accepted into a PhD program; external awards; graduating on time; and thesis publication. A series of t-tests were conducted to examine which predictors discriminated between outcome variables. Results show that GRE scores were highly predictive of a range of outcome variables in the Acadia Master's program where there is a higher degree of variability in predictors. The importance of how GRE scores are used in combination with other predictors is noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Test Anxiety and Academic Performance in Undergraduate and Graduate Students.

This study investigated the relationship between test anxiety and academic performance in 4,000 undergraduate and 1,414 graduate students and found a significant but small inverse relationship between test anxiety and grade point average (GPA) in both groups. Low-test-anxious undergraduates averaged a B+, whereas high-test-anxious students averaged a B. Low-test-anxious female graduate students had significantly higher GPAs than high-test-anxious female graduate students, but there were no significant GPA differences between low- and high-test-anxious male graduate students. Female undergraduates had significantly higher test anxiety and higher GPAs than male undergraduates, and female graduate students had significantly higher test anxiety and higher GPAs than male graduate students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Admission to the PhD program in the Department of Psychology at the University of Oregon.

Describes the graduate admissions process at the University of Oregon and presents analyses of data from over 1,000 applicants. Included in this report are some characteristics of accepted (9%) and rejected (91%) applicants and the probability of an invitation as a function of the applicant's undergraduate GPA and Graduate Record Examination scores. Some conclusions and recommendations are presented, the most important of which is a plea for the rapid development of a centralized application system for all graduate programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Criteria used for admission by graduate departments.

Replies from 217 of 289 (75% return) graduate departments of psychology in the US and Canada indicate that undergraduate grade point average (GPA), partial or total Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, and recommendations were the most important criteria for selection of students. Cutoff range for both sections of the GRE was 860–2,200. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predictors of persistence to graduation: Extending a model and data on the transition to university model.

Persistence to graduation was investigated with 944 (272 males, 672 females) undergraduate students at a large, commuter Canadian university. Within six years, 57.9% of the students had graduated, 9% remained enrolled, and 33.1% were not enrolled or graduated. Results indicate that gender, parental support, stress, depression, and first-year GPA were direct predictors of persistence. When Baker and Siryk's (1985) adaptation scales were added to the model, social adaptation and goal and school commitment became direct predictors in addition to parental support and first-year GPA, whereas high school average and academic adaptation were indirect predictors of graduation. Results indicate that the predictors of persistence to graduation are not the same as the predictors of the transition to university. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comprehensive meta-analysis of the predictive validity of the Graduate Record Examinations: Implications for graduate student selection and performance.

This meta-analysis examined the validity of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) and undergraduate grade point average (UGPA) as predictors of graduate school performance. The study included samples from multiple disciplines, considered different criterion measures, and corrected for statistical artifacts. Data from 1,753 independent samples were included in the meta-analysis, yielding 6,589 correlations for 8 different criteria and 82,659 graduate students. The results indicated that the GRE and UGPA are generalizably valid predictors of graduate grade point average, 1st-year graduate grade point average, comprehensive examination scores, publication citation counts, and faculty ratings. GRE correlations with degree attainment and research productivity were consistently positive; however, some lower 90% credibility intervals included 0. Subject Tests tended to be better predictors than the Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytical tests. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mathematical background and grade-point average as predictors of course grade in an undergraduate behavioral statistics course.

Presents data suggesting that success in undergraduate behavioral statistics courses has little to do with mathematical background and seems to depend on overall ability as a student, as measured by cumulative grade point average (GPA). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Issues in the prediction of graduate student success.

Examined data on Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, grade point average (GPA) scores, and scores on the Miller Analogies Test from 78 graduate programs to determine whether the increased selectivity of students proposed by N. Hirschberg and S. Itkin (see record 1979-27229-001) has been accompanied by an increase in the quality of academic credentials. Advanced Psychology GRE scores and GPAs had increased. The need to examine candidate selection procedures and to consider other, career-oriented factors in student selection is emphasized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Full disclosure data on clinical psychology doctorate programs.

The purposes of this article was to examine the rates at which Council of University Directors of Clinical Psychology (CUDCP) doctoral programs provided full disclosure information on their respective Web sites. Additionally, consistency of full disclosure data was examined using internship match rates, and summary statistics are provided for a normative basis. Of 153 programs, at least some data were located for 111 programs. Large discrepancies were found when comparing internship match statistics reported by programs with match statistics listed by Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). The mean profile of a CUDCP program includes about 160 applicants per year, of which the program admits eight new graduate students. These eight new graduate students have a GRE verbal score of 590, a quantitative GRE score of 650, an undergraduate GPA of 3.63, and take 6.5 years to complete their doctoral degree (including internship). These programs reported an average match rate of 93%. Given the Committee on Accreditation's (CoA's) new mandate for reporting program disclosure variables, the article concludes with recommendations for how best to report these data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Underrepresented students in STEM: The transition from undergraduate to graduate programs.

We used longitudinal tracking data from Cohorts I and II of the Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Program to test whether this intervention program and being a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) undergraduate major helped underrepresented students transition into STEM graduate degree programs in 2006–2007. We found that being a GMS Scholar increased the odds of being currently enrolled in a graduate program and in a STEM graduate field, regardless of whether the student was a STEM undergraduate major. We also found that STEM undergraduate majors were more likely to transition into these graduate degree programs, and that being an undergraduate STEM major was especially beneficial to GMS Scholars. These findings varied considerably across underrepresented groups. We found that undergraduate intervention programs can both retain and insert underrepresented students at the STEM graduate level, thus potentially adding needed diversity at these educational levels. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive processes, anxiety, and performance on doctoral dissertation oral examinations.

In an effort to explore evaluation anxiety in a naturalistic setting, this study examined the relationships among anxiety, thoughts, self-efficacy, and performance of 37 students defending their doctoral dissertations. After the orals, faculty examiners rated each student's performance and level of anxiety. Analyses showed that the state-of-mind ratio (ratio of positive thoughts to positive-plus-negative thoughts) appeared to be a more important contributor to anxiety than did self-inefficacy to control thoughts. Although faculty ratings of anxiety were significantly related to their ratings of performance, S's own reports of anxiety and their thoughts during orals were not predictive of performance. The strongest predictors of orals performance were graduate grade point average (GPA) and committee ratings of the quality of the dissertation and of the student's work in the doctoral program before the dissertation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A cross-validated comparison of five models used to predict graduate admissions committee decisions.

Weights derived from an admissions committee's assessment of 170 applicants to a graduate industrial relations program using 5 models (linear, multiplicative, dummy variable, unit weighting, and multiple hurdles) were cross-validated on 112 additional applicants. Predictions of all models were significantly related to the committee's admissions decisions in the cross-validation group. The accuracy of predictions was about the same for all models; however, except for GPA and Graduate Record Examination scores, the other variables weighted varied somewhat from model to model. A substantial amount of the decision variance was unaccounted for by any model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting compensation among MBA graduates five and ten years after graduation.

To predict earnings 5 and 10 yrs after graduation for MBAs, regression models were developed on a sample of 266 graduates and validated against a new set of 70. The predictors included personality tests administered shortly after entrance into the MBA program, age at graduation, business aptitude tests, GPA, and earnings at graduation and at 5 and 10 yrs after graduation. Separate analyses were run for predictors available (a) at entrance, (b) at graduation, and (c) 5 yrs after graduation. The cross-validation multiple correlations for predicting 10-yr earnings were .38, .45, and .65, respectively. Significant predictor variables included the Harrell High Earner's Scale and 2nd-yr GPA. Age at graduation was significant in predicting 5- but not 10-yr earnings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)