ERIC Number: EJ1170457
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0304-3797
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Validity of GRE General Test Scores and TOEFL Scores for Graduate Admission to a Technical University in Western Europe
Zimmermann, Judith; von Davier, Alina A.; Buhmann, Joachim M.; Heinimann, Hans R.
European Journal of Engineering Education, v43 n1 p144-165 2018
Graduate admission has become a critical process in tertiary education, whereby selecting valid admissions instruments is key. This study assessed the validity of Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test scores for admission to Master's programmes at a technical university in Europe. We investigated the indicative value of GRE scores for the Master's programme grade point average (GGPA) with and without the addition of the undergraduate GPA (UGPA) and the TOEFL score, and of GRE scores for study completion and Master's thesis performance. GRE scores explained 20% of the variation in the GGPA, while additional 7% were explained by the TOEFL score and 3% by the UGPA. Contrary to common belief, the GRE quantitative reasoning score showed only little explanatory power. GRE scores were also weakly related to study progress but not to thesis performance. Nevertheless, GRE and TOEFL scores were found to be sensible admissions instruments. Rigorous methodology was used to obtain highly reliable results.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, College Entrance Examinations, Graduate Study, Language Tests, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Scores, College Admission, Technical Institutes, Universities, Test Validity, Masters Programs, Grade Point Average, Masters Theses, Predictive Validity, Success, Statistical Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Europe
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Graduate Record Examinations; Test of English as a Foreign Language
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A