Study aptitude test

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In the literature, test procedures are referred to as study aptitude tests, which are used to measure cognitive, technical, physical or social and emotional abilities and skills of study suitability.

Types and objectives of academic aptitude tests

A distinction is made between two types of study aptitude tests:

  1. General study aptitude tests are intended to test the cognitive study requirements on which all courses are based. Such cognitive aspects include, for example, skills such as verbal and numerical reasoning, memory and concentration, or spatial imagination . This includes, for example, the SAT , which is widespread in the USA , formerly also known as the Scholastic Assessment Test , Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Achievement Test .
  2. Specific study aptitude tests test skills that are only relevant for mastering individual courses or fields of study. These include, for example, the test for medical courses known in Germany (TMS) or the Swiss aptitude test for medical studies (EMS) as a prerequisite for taking up medical studies or the Vienna coordination course as part of the sports aptitude tests for a promising sports degree .

They are used primarily in subjects with a numerus clausus , where the demand clearly exceeds the number of places available and admission of all persons is not possible. Their use is justified with the limited number of places available: Those who achieve better test results have a higher degree of qualification , which justifies preferential admission. Better study suitability means

  • to optimize the duration of study and thus to make the best possible use of the limited training capacities;
  • to achieve better quality services.

The suitability of a test for admission to study, the relationship between test performance and suitability for study, requires evaluation, i. H. The prognostic significance of the test for academic success must be proven, because without this justification, a raffle for the study places would be an option.

The university entrance qualification is acquired through the Abitur / Matura . Using these school grades for admission has two disadvantages: (1) the grades differ between (federal) states, school types and educational pathways and can only be compensated to a limited extent by statistical correction procedures, and (2) repercussions on the grading system are possible if negative Grading, especially in non-standardized exams, should be avoided by the teaching staff (courtesy grades). The academic aptitude tests offer the advantage of objectivity, i.e. H. In principle, all persons have the same conditions and thus the same opportunities for the test. To do this, the tests themselves have to be fair. That means z. B. that, based on job-specific prior knowledge or experience or handicaps that are not relevant to academic success, there must be no advantages or disadvantages in the test.

The use of such tests is also useful in student advisory services, here as a decision-making aid as to whether the individual resources and potential are sufficient to cope with the study requirements and an application for this degree is recommended.

Quality criteria of academic aptitude tests

  • The objectivity and reliability (accuracy of measurement) of test procedures can be achieved by observing certain construction principles of the psychometric test construction. Study aptitude tests that are constructed according to these principles (such as the above-mentioned SAT or TMS procedures) are usually highly objectivity and reliable.
  • The validity of academic aptitude tests is usually determined by the correlation of the test result with an external criterion. This external criterion should mostly represent academic success. Different criteria come into question in detail. In most of the validation studies, however, only the grades and the successful completion of a degree (as opposed to dropping out) were examined - also for reasons of economic research.
    • Ability to study tests prove to be particularly valid for predicting grades in the course as well as exam success in the first few years. Here it is argued that drop-outs take place primarily in the first few years and that it is above all necessary to predict or take into account in the admission decision.

If you combine school- leaving grades (Germany: high school average grade ; USA: high school GPA) with the results of study aptitude tests, this leads to an even better prediction of academic grades than can be achieved through school grades or study aptitude tests alone (so-called incremental validity). According to current aptitude diagnostic standards, a relatively high level of prediction accuracy is achieved. On the other hand, this means that the explanation of variance - even after corrections for the assumed unreliability of study grades - remains well below 40%. For the TMS, a mean correlation coefficient of r = 0.54 is reported for a combination of the TMS result and the average Abitur grade. This corresponds to an explanation of the variance of approx. 30%.

  • However, academic aptitude tests seem to be less suitable for predicting successful graduation. This can also be due to the fact that the predictability of tests generally only applies to certain periods of time and decreases with the duration of the prediction. Another explanation would be that drop-outs are more likely to be related to an unsuccessful fit between students and the university environment, as well as motivational and psychosocial aspects, than to inadequate study ability.
  • The normalization of tests is achieved by developing a scale of data obtained from a representative group of test subjects. The normalization creates a reference system with which the results of the test participants can be compared to those of the larger reference group. Since academic aptitude tests are usually used to select applicants for a place at a university, it is actually sufficient to form a ranking among these applicants, so that normalization using another sample is not necessary.
  • The test fairness of academic aptitude tests is very controversial, especially in the USA. Academic aptitude tests are much more important there than in Germany, as a large number of universities take the results of tests into account when granting university admission. In the knowledge tests used there, the knowledge acquired in school has a greater weight, and there the equality of opportunity for people is questioned. Test participants of African origin achieve significantly lower test results on average than test participants of European origin. Test proponents, on the other hand, argue that, on average, unequal test results from different ethnic groups are not an argument against tests as long as they are equally valid for all test participants (model of fair prediction). This criticism applies less strongly to academic aptitude tests, which test less the level of knowledge than the ability to acquire new knowledge.

Application examples for study aptitude tests

Because of the high costs of a study place in medicine, the test for medical courses (TMS) was used in Germany from 1986 to 1996 and since 2008 again for individual universities and federal states as an admission criterion (in connection with high school diploma, waiting time, etc.).

In Switzerland since 1998 and in Austria (Vienna and Innsbruck) the aptitude test for medical studies (EMS) was used as the exclusive admission criterion for medical studies from 2006 to 2012 . Tests for medical approval are z. B. in the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, Belgium also used.

Throughout Europe, standardized sport aptitude tests are practiced at almost all universities, academies and sport schools that train sport teachers and sport scientists to ensure a promising degree in sport .

In addition, the principle of selecting applicants through academic aptitude tests is also occasionally used in economics courses, for example at the Pforzheim University of Applied Sciences or the private International School of Management in Dortmund. The content of the tests depends on the requirements set by the universities.

Since 2010, due to the limited number of places available in master’s degree programs, study aptitude tests have increasingly been used for admission to master’s programs in economics. Analogous to the TMS, the test for master’s courses in economics and social sciences (TM-WISO) was developed, with which the University of Cologne, the University of Hamburg, the Leuphana University of Lüneburg and the University of Magdeburg select master’s students.

As one of the first state universities in the German-speaking area, the Leuphana University of Lüneburg introduced a compulsory study aptitude test for most subjects. Most private universities also require you to take a test.

With regard to the admission of foreign applicants to study in Germany, the TestAS (Test for Foreign Students / Test for Academic Studies) is currently being established. The TestAS is a central, standardized study aptitude test that can be taken in both German and English. The TestAS result provides prospective students from abroad with information about where they stand compared to other applicants. With good test results, you can improve your chances of getting a place at a university in Germany. The test reliably helps universities to design and control the selection and admission of foreign students in a qualitative manner. The TestAS is developed by ITB Consulting GmbH and implemented by the Society for Academic Study Preparation and Test Development e. V. offered. TestAS is funded by the DAAD with funds from the BMBF.

See also

literature

  • Deidesheimer-Kreis: University admission and study aptitude tests. Field-related procedures for determining suitability for numerus clausus and other courses of study . Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1997, ISBN 3-525-45309-4 .
  • H. Rindermann and V. Oubaid: Selection of new students by universities. Criteria, procedures and predictability of academic success . In: Journal for Differential and Diagnostic Psychology . Volume 20, Hogrefe & Huber 1999, pp. 172-191.
  • Manfred Amelang and Werner Zielinski: Psychological diagnostics and intervention . 3rd edition, Springer, Heidelberg 2002, ISBN 3-540-42840-2 .
  • Simone Dlugosch: Prediction of academic success . Shaker, Aachen 2005, ISBN 3-8322-4557-X .
  • Benedikt Hell, Sabrina Trapmann and Heinz Schuler: A meta-analysis of the validity of subject-specific study aptitude tests in German-speaking countries . In: Empirical Pedagogy. Volume 21, 2007, pp. 251-270.
  • Heinz Schuler and Benedikt Hell (editors). Student selection and study decision . Hogrefe, Göttingen 2007.
  • Schult, J., Hofmann, A., & Stegt, SJ (2019). Do subject-specific study aptitude tests in German-speaking countries provide a valid study success prognosis? A meta-analytical update. Journal of Developmental and Educational Psychology, 51 (1), 16-30. doi: 10.1026 / 0049-8637 / a000204

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ northwest Burton and L. Ramist: Predicting Success in College. SAT Studies of Classes Graduating Since 1980 . College Entrance Examination Board, New York 2001.
  2. ↑ B. Hell, S. Trapmann and H. Schuler: A meta-analysis of the validity of subject-specific study aptitude tests in German-speaking countries . In: Empirical Pedagogy . Volume 21, 2007, pp. 251-270.
  3. ↑ Synopsis of the Hohenheim meta-analyzes by Hell, Trappmann and Schuler  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / kops.ub.uni-konstanz.de  
  4. ↑ G. Trost, E. Klieme and H.-U. Nauels: Prognostic validity of the test for medical degree programs (TMS) . In: Theo Herrmann (ed.): University development. Tasks and opportunities . Asanger, Heidelberg 1997, ISBN 3-89334-327-X , pp. 57-87.
  5. ^ William G. Bowen and Derek Bok: The shape of the river . Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ 1998, ISBN 0-691-00274-6 .
  6. ↑ SB Robbins, D. Davis, HL Davis, K. Lauver, and R. Langley: Do Psychosocial and Study Skill Factors Predict College Outcomes? - A meta-analysis . In: Psychological Bulletin . Volume 130, No. 2, 2004, pp. 261-288.
  7. ↑ Ulrich Heublein, Heike Spangenberg and Dieter Sommer: Causes of dropping out. Analysis 2002 . HIS GmbH, Hannover 2003, ISBN 3-930447-54-1 .
  8. ↑ J. Pixner and H. Schüpbach: On the predictability of dropouts as a criterion of study (failure) success . In: Heinz Schuler and Benedikt Hell (eds.): Student selection and study decision . Hogrefe, Göttingen 2008, ISBN 978-3-8017-2103-9 .
  9. ^ Vincent Tinto: Leaving college. Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition . University of Chicago Press, Chicago 1993, ISBN 0-226-80446-1 .
  10. ↑ College Board (Ed.): Best Practices in Admissions Decisions. A Report on the Third College Board Conference on Admissions Models . College Entrance Examination Board, New York 2002.
  11. ^ PR Sackett: The Performance-Diversity Tradeoff in Admission Testing . In: Wayne J. Camara and Ernest W. Kimmel (Eds.): Choosing students. Higher education admissions tools for the 21st century . Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, Mahwah, NJ 2005, ISBN 0-8058-4752-9 .
  12. ^ A b Petersen / Mery: The application to study. Apply successfully for Bachelor's and Master's degrees , 2010, Verlag Bildungspark, Offenbach am Main, p. 186 f.