Self-reported grades are heavily used in research and applied settings because of the importance of grades and the convenience of obtaining self-reports. This study reviews and meta-analytically summarizes the literature on the accuracy of self-reported grades, class ranks, and test scores. Results based on a pairwise sample of 60,926 subjects indicate that self-reported grades are less construct valid than many scholars believe. Furthermore, self-reported grade validity was strongly moderated by actual levels of school performance and cognitive ability. These findings suggest that self-reported grades should be used with caution. Situations in which self-reported grades can be employed more safely are identified, and suggestions for their use in research are discussed.

The construct meaning of assessment center evaluations is an important unresolved issue in I/O psychology. This study hypothesized that Cognitive Ability and personality traits are primary correlates of evaluators' overall assessment ratings (OARs). Metaanalysis results based on 65 correlations indicate the following mean construct-level correlations with OARs: .67 for Cognitive Ability, .50 for Extraversion, .35 for Emotional Stability, .25 for Openness, and .17 for Agreeableness; yielding a multiple R of .84. These findings support our hypothesis and cast light on the construct meaning of assessment center evaluations.

There are currently 89 pharmacy programs in the United States, and each is confronted with evaluating a large number of applicants each year. Given the importance of producing effective professionals for the health and wellbeing of the public, selecting top-quality students who will master their training is of critical importance. The Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) is a standardized test used by pharmacy programs to select students. The PCAT is considered by most pharmacy programs and in 2003 was required by 51 pharmacy programs as a piece of information for making admissions decisions. 1 The PCAT has been used since 1974 but not without controversy. Opinions are mixed about its effectiveness. Some scholars have variously argued either in favor of or against the use of the PCAT. 2 Positions against the PCAT run counter to the stance of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) which endorses the use of PCAT scores as a part of pharmacy admissions decisions. 3 This mix of opinions is understandable given the range of validity study findings reported in the literature.Correlations between PCAT scores and GPA have ranged from a low of r = -0.09 4 to a high of r = 0.68. 4 Unfortunately, many of the validity studies have employed small samples from programs with highly selective admissions policies. Of critical importance is the predictive validity of the PCAT, the validity of alternative predictors (ie, prepharmacy grades and the SAT), and the investigation of the sources of correlation variability across studies. Addressing all of these issues is the objective of this study.The PCAT was first used on a national level in 1975. 5 In the fall of 2004, some of its content and structure was altered. The PCAT now includes an essay portion. The verbal section now contains sentence completion items and no longer specifically tests one's knowledge of antonyms. The biology section now includes items intended to assess knowledge of microbiology, and the quantitative section now includes precalculus and calculus. The number of verbal, biology, and reading comprehension items has been increased while the quantitative and chemistry sections have been reduced. Overall, the total number of multiple-choice items has decreased from approximately 300 multiple-choice items to 280.These changes notwithstanding, the PCAT continues to be a measure of ability and knowledge with multiplechoice items spread across the following 5 domains: ver- Objectives. Compare the validity of the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) and prepharmacy grade point average (GPA) in predicting performance in pharmacy school and professional licensing examinations. Methods. To quantitatively aggregate results across previous studies of the validity of the PCAT, the Hunter and Schmidt psychometric meta-analytic method was used. Relevant research articles were gathered from multiple databases. Correlations between the PCAT and GPAs or individual course grades were the most commonly presented data. Results. The PCAT and prepharmacy GPA were...

Considerable debate both within and outside of academic circles surrounds the validity of standardized tests for predicting student performance in graduate business schools. This meta-analysis aggregates the existing literature on the validity of the two most heavily used predictors in business school admissions: the GMAT and undergraduate grade point average. Results based on over 402 independent samples across 64,583 students indicate that the GMAT is a superior predictor to UGPA and that the two combined yield a high level of validity for predicting student performance.

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