Research-Based Strategies for Teaching

The Takeaway: This study is a meta-analysis of previous studies that examine whether the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) predicts student performance in Master’s programs Doctoral programs. Across nearly 100 studies and 10,000 students, this study found that GRE scores did predict first year grade point average (GPA), overall graduate GPA, and faculty ratings of their master’s and doctoral students, with differences that ranged from small to zero.

The Study

This study examines the degree to which the predictive validity of GRE scores is moderated by degree level. Moderators of predictive validity influence the magnitude of the correlation between individuals’ scores on the predictor and one or more outcomes of interest.

Two Types of Moderators

1. Substantive moderators include meaningful conditions, situations, or populations which are consistently associated with higher or lower levels of predictive power. Examples include:

• Course complexity: The greater demands placed on cognitive resources in high- complexity settings should result in a stronger correlation between ability measures and performance than in low-complexity settings. It is reasonable to propose that, on average, doctoral-level work is of higher complexity than master’s-level work.
• Independence and ill-structured learning environments: Much of the work of doctoral students is ill structured while masters program work is more structured. Research suggests that students with higher scores on standardized tests may actually profit more from low-structured environments (such as doctoral programs) than those with lower scores because of the interaction between training structure and ability.
• Discipline area: Discipline of study has been found to have a small effect on the predictive power of GRE scores. GRE-V scores are more strongly related to grades in verbal disciplines (humanities). GRE-Q scores are more strongly correlated with grades for those in quantitative disciplines

2. Artifactual moderators can result in an observed difference in predictive validity because of the statistical properties of the samples or measures. Two common examples include differential restriction of range because of direct and indirect selection effects and criterion measurement error differences

• If one graduate program degree level typically admits a wider range of students, we would expect to observe larger correlations between GRE scores and academic programs for that degree level.
• Differences in criterion measurement error can occur because of grading policy or systematic instructor differences.

Results of study 

• Both GRE-V and GRE-Q were found to be valid predictors of graduate GPA and first year graduate GPA in both master’s and doctoral programs.
• GRE-V and GRE-Q scores were found to predict faculty ratings for both master’s and doctoral programs.
• These results indicate that the GRE is effective for admission decision making for both master’s- and doctoral-level work and should be incorporated in the application process for both degree levels.

What role has standardized testing such as the GRE played in the admissions process for your department? Consider the major expectations of students in your program such as completion milestones (e.g., coursework, qualifying exams and thesis/dissertation), service to the department (e.g., teaching or research assistantships), service to the field (e.g., professional associations or participation in conferences), among others, and consider whether strong performances on standardized tests have been strong indicators of student success as determined by the department’s expectations.