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Self-reported grades are heavily used in research and applied settings because of the importance of grades and the convenience of obtaining self-reports. This study reviews and meta-analytically summarizes the literature on the accuracy of self-reported grades, class ranks, and test scores. Results based on a pairwise sample of 60,926 subjects indicate that self-reported grades are less construct valid than many scholars believe. Furthermore, self-reported grade validity was strongly moderated by actual levels of school performance and cognitive ability. These findings suggest that self-reported grades should be used with caution. Situations in which self-reported grades can be employed more safely are identified, and suggestions for their use in research are discussed.

Suppose p + 1 experimental groups correspond to increasing dose levels of a treatment and all groups are subject to right censoring. In such instances, permutation tests for trend can be performed based on statistics derived from the weighted log-rank class. This article uses saddlepoint methods to determine the mid-P-values for such permutation tests for any test statistic in the weighted log-rank class. Permutation simulations are replaced by analytical saddlepoint computations which provide extremely accurate mid-P-values that are exact for most practical purposes and almost always more accurate than normal approximations. The speed of mid-P-value computation allows for the inversion of such tests to determine confidence intervals for the percentage increase in mean (or median) survival time per unit increase in dosage. Supposons que p + 1 groupes expérimentaux sont associés à un dosage croissant d'un traitement et que tous les groupes sont sujets à une censure à droite. Dans de tels cas, des tests de permutations pour la tendance peuvent être faits en se basant sur des statistiques obtenues à partir de la classe des statistiques de log-rangs pondérés. Cet article utilise l'approximation par le point de selle pour obtenir le seuil moyen de ces tests de permutation quelle que soit la statistique de test appartenant à la classe des statistiques de log-rangs pondérés. La simulation des permutations est remplacée par le calcul analytique du point de selle. Ce dernier procure un seuil moyen très précis qui peut être considéré exact pour la majorité des applications et qui est toujours plus précis que les approximations normales. La vitesse de calcul des seuils moyens permet l'inversion de ces tests afin de déterminer des intervalles de confiance pour le pourcentage d'augmentation moyen (ou médian) du temps de survie par unité de dosage supplémentaire.

Background: Several predictors of medical school performance have been identified, yet more research is needed to select applicants who will perform well. Grit is a personality trait that is described as persevering through difficult tasks. Although it is hypothesized that this type of trait would be high in a medical student population, this has not been studied. The purpose of this study was to examine grit among medical students and to explore whether grit-predicted performance in medical school. Methods: There were 131 graduating medical students who completed a questionnaire in May 2014 on grit as well as demographic questions and involvement in other activities in medical school. Data on test scores, years in medical school, and class ranking were obtained from the medical school. Results: The average grit score among 130 medical students was high (mean = 4.01, standard deviation = 0.42). Those who completed the program in 4 years had higher grit scores than those who completed in 5 years (P = 0.01). Grit was related to medical school performance including clinical knowledge scores (P = 0.02). There was also a difference between the highest and lowest class rank (P = 0.03). Discussion: Medical students have high levels of trait-like perseverance and it appears that those with higher levels of grit are more likely to perform better in medical school.

Social class is a multifaceted social category that shapes numerous states and psychological processes, as well as the manner in which we relate to others. Trust, on the other hand, is a prerequisite for the initiation and maintenance of satisfactory social relationships. With 899 participants of both sexes drawn from the general population, this study examined the relationship between membership in a particular social class and three different types of trust: generalized, interpersonal, and depersonalized ingroup (social class). It was found that social class was positively related to generalized trust and negatively to interpersonal trust and depersonalized ingroup trust. These relationships were independent of the participants’gender, age, and political ideology. The results are discussed in light of the importance of the existing relationship between a variable of macrosocial order, such as social class, and psychological variables, such as the different types of trust analyzed.

In most developed countries, students have to choose a major field of study during high school. This is an important decision because it largely determines subsequent educational and occupational choices. Using French data, this paper reveals that enrollment at a more selective high school, with higher-achieving peers, has no impact on boys, but a strong impact on girls’ choices: they turn away from scientific fields and settle for less competitive ones. Our results are not consistent with two commonly advanced explanations for gender differences in field of study—namely, disparities in prior academic preparation and in sensitivity to rank in class.

State financial aid grant programs are commonly categorized as either need-based, merit-based, or both, but their initial eligibility requirements include many more factors than just financial need and academic merit. A categorization of programs that accounts for all requirements would facilitate a more nuanced and precise understanding of state grant programs. We used latent class analysis to organize 354 grant programs into a five-category typology to better understand the variations and patterns in programs. Need and merit proved important in the typology, but two of the new categories of programs were defined by other eligibility requirements. Implications for future research and policymaking are discussed.

Background With the transition away from traditional numerical grades/scores, residency applicant factors such as service, research, leadership, and extra-curricular activities may become more critical in the application process. Objective To assess the importance of residency application factors reported by program directors (PDs), stratified by director demographics and specialty. Method A questionnaire was electronically distributed to 4241 residency PDs in 23 specialties during spring 2022 and included questions on PD demographics and 22 residency applicant factors, including demographics, academic history, research involvement, and extracurricular activities. Responses were measured using a Likert scale for importance. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square and Fisher exact test analysis were performed. Results 767 questionnaires were completed (19% response rate). Across all specialties, the factor considered most important was the interview (99.5%). When stratified by specialty, surgical PDs were more likely to characterize class rank, letters of recommendation, research, presenting scholarly work, and involvement in collegiate sports as extremely important/very important (all p  < 0.0001). In contrast, primary care PDs favored the proximity of the candidate’s hometown ( p  = 0.0002) and community service ( p  = 0.03). Mean importance of applicant factors also differed by PD age, gender, and ethnicity. Conclusion We have identified several residency application factors considered important by PDs, stratified by their specialty, demographics, and previous experiences. With the transition away from numerical grades/scores, medical students should be aware of the factors PDs consider important based on their chosen specialty. Our analysis may assist medical students in understanding the application and match process across various specialties.

Against the backdrop of today's increasingly multicultural society, are America's elite colleges admitting and successfully educating a diverse student body? No Longer Separate, Not Yet Equal pulls back the curtain on the selective college experience and takes a rigorous and comprehensive look at how race and social class impact each stage--from application and admission, to enrollment and student life on campus. Arguing that elite higher education contributes to both social mobility and inequality, the authors investigate such areas as admission advantages for minorities, academic achievement gaps tied to race and class, unequal burdens in paying for tuition, and satisfaction with college experiences. The book's analysis is based on data provided by the National Survey of College Experience, collected from more than nine thousand students who applied to one of ten selective colleges between the early 1980s and late 1990s. The authors explore the composition of applicant pools, factoring in background and \"selective admission enhancement strategies\"--including AP classes, test-prep courses, and extracurriculars--to assess how these strengthen applications. On campus, the authors examine roommate choices, friendship circles, and degrees of social interaction, and discover that while students from different racial and class circumstances are not separate in college, they do not mix as much as one might expect. The book encourages greater interaction among student groups and calls on educational institutions to improve access for students of lower socioeconomic status.

OBJECTIVES Students often express uncertainty regarding changing their answers on multiple choice tests despite multiple studies quantitatively showing the benefits of changing answers. METHODS Data was collected from 86 first-year podiatric medical students over one semester for the course of Biochemistry, as shown in electronic testing data collected via ExamSoft's® Snapshot Viewer. Quantitative analysis was performed comparing frequency of changing answers and whether students changed their answers from incorrect-to-correct, correct-to-incorrect, or incorrect-to-incorrect. A correlation analysis was performed to assess the relationship between the frequency of each type of answer change and class rank. Independent-sample t-tests were used to assess differences in the pattern of changing answers amongst the top and bottom performing students in the class. RESULTS The correlation between total changes made from correct-to-incorrect per total answer changes and class rank yielded a positive correlation of r = 0.218 (P = .048). There was also a positive correlation of r = 0.502 (P < .000) observed in the number of incorrect-to-incorrect answer changes per total changes made compared to class rank. A negative correlation of r = −0.382 (P < .000) was observed when comparing class rank and the number of changed answers from incorrect-to-correct. While most of the class benefited from changing answers, a significant positive correlation of r = 0.467 (P < .000) for percent ultimately incorrect (regardless of number of changes) and class rank was observed. CONCLUSION Analysis revealed that class rank correlated to likelihood of a positive gain from changing answers. Higher ranking students were more likely to gain points from changing their answer compared to lower ranking. Top students changed answers less frequently and changed answers to an ultimately correct answer more often, while bottom students changed answers from an incorrect answer to another incorrect answer more frequently than top students.

Test-optional admissions policies have been steadily, though slowly, expanding throughout higher education institutions for decades. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, sparked a rapid expansion of institutions adopting test-optional policy. Using a diffusion of innovations framework, this study assesses the institutional characteristics that shaped test-optional policy adoption of institutions adopting the policy before and after spring 2020. We find that COVID adopters are more ethnically diverse, more likely to be public, have higher test scores, and graduation rates, and lower admissions rates and percentage of financial aid coming from Pell Grants than pre-COVID adopters.