Have you taken the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE)? The GRE is a set of standardized tests that assess verbal, quantitative, and analytic capacities as well as knowledge of a particular field, such as psychology. Just like the SAT, the GRE is thought to predict academic achievement. However, unlike the SAT, the GRE is thought to predict academic performance specifically for graduate school. Results of this test may help determine which graduate school an applicant gets into, or whether an applicant gets into graduate school at all. For a test with such significance, the question is, does it work?
THE RESEARCH STUDY
In examining the validity of the GRE, researchers (Kuncel, Hezlett, & Ones, 2001) performed a massive meta-analysis, or statistical combination of many past studies. They analyzed 1,753 samples and over 80,000 graduate students in total. The researchers wanted to measure the relationship between GRE scores and graduate school performance as indicated by GPA, scores on comprehensive exams, number of research publications, and faculty ratings. In short, the results of the study indicated that the GRE is indeed a valid predictor of graduate school performance, as it had a relationship with all of the performance indicators.
THE BOTTOM LINE
In relating these results to other domains, such as employee selection, it appears that there is a role for standardized tests in predicting performance. What that role should be and how much reliance is placed on the instrument should be examined on a case-by-case basis. As other studies have indicated, other variables, such as personality and intelligence, also appear to predict performance. In an ideal setting, all of these factors should be utilized in trying to predict how well job applicants will perform on the job.
Kuncel, N. R., Hezlett, S. A., & Ones, D. S. (2001). A comprehensive meta-analysis of the predictive validity of the Graduate Record Examinations: Implications for graduate student selection and performance. Psychological Bulletin, 127(1), 162–181.
Image credit: Unsplash+