Preparatory Class Average Score and University Entrance Exam Result as Predictors of College Performance: The Case of 2011/2012 Kotobe University College Degree Program Students

Abstract

The prime purpose of this study is to assess the degree to which
preparatory class average score and university entrance exam result predict first year
college performance. From a total of 497 regular degree program students who
joined Kotobe University College (KUC) in 2011/12 academic year, 484 (171 males
and 313 females) participated in the study. University entrance exam results, preparatory
class average scores and first year college result, Cumulative Grade Point Average
(CGPA) of these students were collected from the documents of the Office of the
Registrar of KUC. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted. The results
indicated that preparatory class average score and university entrance exam result in
order appeared to be valid predictors of first year college CGPA and jointly accounted
for 33.70 percent of the variation in college performance. On the basis of their
predictive ability, preparatory class average score was found to be more important than
university entrance exam result in general and for social science and natural science
fields of study as well. Based on these findings, the practical implications of the study
to the university admission criteria were discussed, and recommendations were
forwarded.