Predicting optometry school grades from intellectual and nonintellectual admission variables

Intellectual achievement, assessed over time by grades in preprofessional courses and standardized by scores on the Optometry College Admission Test (OCAT), is typically used to judge an applicant's potential for academic achievement in optometry school. In this study both intellectual and nonintellectual admission variables were tested as predictors of optometry grade point average (GPA). GPA at the end of two years was strongly and efficiently predicted by the following combination of intellectual and nonintellectual variables: preoptometry GPA, scores on the physics section of the OCAT, and a score based on the applicant's California Psychological Inventory (CPI) profile. The multiple correlation coefficient between this three-variable combination and GPA was 0.66; cross-validated r = 0.56. Scores on the quantitative section of the OCAT were the best single predictor of first year grades; when preoptometry GPA scores on the physics section of the OCAT and the personality inventory score were added, a predictive validity coefficient of 0.61 was obtained. It is concluded that the prediction of grades in optometry school, and indeed all professional schools, will derive from these three factors: preprofessional grades, standardized achievement test scores, and a quantitative measure of personal traits which relate to academic achievement. Whereas the exact weighting of each variable in a predictive equation depends upon the individual school, maximum predictive validity will be based on these three factors.