Comparison of Hispanic and Anglo Graduate Record Examination Scores and Academic Performance

Abstract

The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytic scores and undergraduate and graduate grade-point averages (U-GPA and G-GPA) for 320 Hispanics and 632 Anglos admitted to graduate school at the University of Texas at El Paso over the past 5 years were evaluated. Multivariate analyses revealed that Anglos scored significantly higher than Hispanics on both U-GPA and G-GPA and all three GRE scores. Multiple regression analyses for the ethnic group, with U-GPA and GRE scores used to predict G-GPA, showed higher correlations for the Anglos compared to Hispanics, although both had relatively poor predictive validity. The regression coefficients for all three GRE scores for the Hispanic group were zero, which reflects no relationship between the GRE and graduate grades; this makes the use of the GRE in selection of Hispanics for graduate school questionable.

Examining the Validity of the GRE General Test Scores and Undergraduate GPA for Predicting Success in Graduate School at a Large Racially and Ethnically Diverse Public University in Southeast Florida

“…This indicates that Doctoral students who had higher CGPAs were more likely to have higher UGPAs (β = .13). This finding is consistent with that found by Whitworth and Barrientos (1990).…”

“…While small correlations typical in GRE validation studies were expected due to a ceiling effect, e.g., restriction of range of scores (Ingram, 1983;Kuncel et al, 2001;Mehrens & Lehmann, 1987;Schmidt & Hunter, 1981;Schneider & Briel, 1990), criterion unreliability( (Kuncel et al, 2001;Mehrens & Lehmann, 1987;Schmidt & Hunter, 1981), and compensatory selection (Ingram, 1983;Schneider & Briel, 1990;Whitworth & Barrientos, 1990), the present study found smaller correlations than those in the previous studies. …”

“…Whitworth and Barrientos (1990) whose sample (N = 952) included a large number of Hispanic students (N = 320) found that graduate GPA was not significantly related to any of the GRE scores for Hispanic students. In addition, they found that the regression coefficients for the GREV, GREQ, and GRE analytical (GREA) were not significantly different from 0 for Hispanics, indicating that changes in graduate GPA do not tend to be associated with changes in any of the GRE scores.…”

“…Compensatory selection (Dawes, 1975;Schneider & Briel, 1990;Whitworth & Barrientos, 1990) is an admission decision practice where high scores on one admission marker (e.g., UGPA) are allowed to compensate for low scores on another (e.g., GRE score) that is, some students who received low scores on the GRE tests are offered an admission because of their high UGPAs.…”

“…Whitworth and Barrientos (1990) investigated the predictive relationships of the GRE and undergraduate GPA (UGPA) with graduate GPA (GGPA)…”