In their study, researchers (West & Sadoski, 2011) investigated the predictors of academic performance among 106 Texas A&M Medical students. The possible predictors were undergraduate GPA, scores on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), and scores on the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI). The LASSI assesses ten different characteristics that could affect academic performance, including attitude and anxiety, among others. To measure academic performance, the authors used first-semester grades from the first year of medical school.
Overall, the authors found that Time Management and Self-Testing, two subtests of the LASSI, were found to be better predictors of academic performance than aptitude tests and previous academic performance.
It is suspected that the skills of time management and self-testing will predict performance in domains other than academics. Though self-testing could be particular to scholarly settings, the overall process of assessing one’s own capacities is germane to most business ventures.
West, C. & Sadoski, M. (2011). Do study strategies predict academic performance in medical school? Medical Education, 45, 696-703.
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