Abstract
We explored the relation between Undergraduate GPA (UGPA) and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Verbal scores and several indices of achievement in veterinary medical education across five cohorts of veterinary students (N per model ranging from 109 to 143). Achievement indices included overall grade point average in veterinary school (CVMGPA), scores on the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) and scores on the Veterinary Educational Assessment (VEA). We calculated zero order correlations among all measures, and corrected correlations for range restriction. In all cases, corrected correlations exceeded uncorrected ones. For each index of achievement, we conducted hierarchical regressions using the corrected correlations as input, entering UGPA in the first step and GRE Verbal in the second step. Overall, UGPA and GRE Verbal combined explained from 70 to 84% of variance in CVMGPA, 51–91% of variance in VEA scores, and 41–92% of variance in NAVLE scores. For 12 of 15 comparisons, the second step (including GRE Verbal scores) significantly improved R2. Our results reaffirm the value of UGPA scores and GRE Verbal scores for predicting subsequent academic achievement in veterinary school.
Highlights
Graduate and professional programs seek to admit applicants who will succeed academically and in subsequent careers
The present study highlights several key implications for admissions decisions, as well as for future research. While both undergraduate GPA and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores have been shown to significantly predict subsequent achievement in veterinary colleges, it seems likely that their predictive power has been consistently underestimated because range restriction often has not been taken into account
Veterinary programs that have not considered range restriction for these predictors in their own admissions models may be limiting their ability to predict which applicants will succeed in their programs
Summary
Graduate and professional programs seek to admit applicants who will succeed academically and in subsequent careers. Programs often utilize admissions policies to meet other objectives, such as recognizing important non-academic indicators of success or merit, and ensuring fairness for all applicants. One common predictor of success in veterinary medical education programs is undergraduate grade point average (UGPA). Research supports UGPA’s utility in predicting achievement in veterinary school [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10]. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE), a standardized examination offered by Educational Testing Services, is intended to predict achievement for graduate and professional school, and, like undergraduate GPA, is commonly used for admissions decisions in veterinary medical education. Researchers have explored the GRE’s utility for predicting subsequent achievement for a wide range
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