How to select candidates for an undergraduate degree in psychology? Combining high-school GPA and admission test score

Abstract

The current study investigated whether the grade point average (GPA) of high school courses and the score on the test for admission to a bachelor’s degree in Psychology—assessing logical reasoning, reading comprehension, and general knowledge—can predict student academic success (AS) and to what extent. Archival data from 5147 candidates (82.4% female) collected over six years (2010–2016) were used. For 2559 of these, indicators of AS (graduation marks, average weighted marks, completion of the degree on time, and dropout) were also available. A series of hierarchical regressions were performed, in which the high school GPA was included as the first predictor, and the scores of the three sections of the admission test were included as the second set of predictors. Findings indicated high school GPA as the best predictor of AS. However, admission test scores predicted a portion of AS that the high school GPA was not able to account for. This result indicates that the administration of the admission test, which evaluates logical reasoning, reading comprehension, and general knowledge, can add relevant information to the high school GPA, thus increasing the efficacy in the selection of candidates, who can have the best chance to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology.