Do higher test scores matter?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Balios, Aug 7, 2011.

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  1. Balios

    Balios New Member

    Are there any times when the score on CLEP / DSST / etc. matters, or is it always the case that "a pass is a pass." Do grad schools request CLEP transcripts and factor scores into admission decisions, for example?
     
  2. cookderosa

    cookderosa Resident Chef

    Grad schools don't see scores, only undergrad schools. Undergrad schools transcribe your clep scores into "CREDIT" or a similar note on your transcript, so no scores are anywhere. That being said, I never figured out how to study for a "C" but if you do, more power to you. Yes, a pass is a pass.
     
  3. John Bear

    John Bear Senior Member

    Michigan State used to require the Miller Analogies Test as part of the application for graduate school. I was told years later that they had ample research showing that there was a range of scores that predicted success in grad school . . . but a score that was either too low or too high was associated with failure. On that test (at that time, at least), they said a score between 60 and 80 out 100 was what they were (secretly) looking for. I've been intrigued for years, wondering if this is a common practice, and how their research was done, etc.
     
  4. Delta

    Delta Active Member

    Perhaps these graduate exams have some predictive abilities for young new undergraduates with no work experience?

    Graduate degrees are usually in a very specific field of study. From my anecdotal observations, working adults with years of experience in that field, tend to do very well in graduate school irrespective of exam scores.

    Then of course, my measurement of "success in grad school" is graduating!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 7, 2011
  5. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    There was a high score on the MAT that predicted failure in their school? That's surprising. I would think that the higher the score, the better your chances for success. I scored in the 92 percentile on the MAT, I wonder if that was high enough that they would not accept me, probably not high enough. I would expect that it would be maybe 95 or above. Very strange practice.
     
  6. Delta

    Delta Active Member

    Percentile and scores are two different things. Then you add in the fact that the MAT is scored differently today than it was greater than roughly 5 years ago. Like I've said before, I don't give too much weight to these graduate exams in predicting anything. It's just a check mark in the application process and any graduate school worth a darn will take into consideration many other factors of the applicant. Now I did know a person who scored very high on the MCAT and got a scholarship to medical school.
     
  7. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    I'm not sure what you mean saying that percentile and scores are two different things. At least in this case, percentile and score are related because the score is what is ranked by percentile. If you score in the 80th percentile, your score beat or tied 80% of the people who took the test. They may be two different things but those things are directly related.
     
  8. Delta

    Delta Active Member

    The old format of the MAT gave a raw score meaning what your score was out of 100 and in addition, a percentile score indicating where you scored relative to other test takers. Two different things!
     
  9. Garp

    Garp Well-Known Member

    That really is interesting (mainly the "too high score" being a predictor of failure). I recall reading somewhere that competitive programs often look for a variety of things as predictors of success. For example, some without a 4.0 but who is well rounded and has a history that indicates tenacity may bring more to a program and indicate a higher probability of success.
     
  10. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    I disagree, but it's not worth arguing over.
     
  11. Delta

    Delta Active Member

    That's okay! Disagreeing and not understanding are two different things as well! :)
     
  12. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    LOL. That's totally OK; It is your right and I'm not offended when you don't understand. :smile:
     
  13. Delta

    Delta Active Member

  14. Delta

    Delta Active Member

    I get it! HA hA hA, LOL! You are simply proving Univ of Michigan's point that folks with very high test scores are too obnoxious to be accepted into grad school. Good one!
     
  15. SurfDoctor

    SurfDoctor Moderator

    So this has to degrade into juvenile name calling? Sorry, not interested. You can have the last word. Take your best shot.
     

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