Aptitude, achievement, interest, and personality tests: a longitudinal comparison

Abstract

Of a group of 1500 freshmen extensively tested in 1939, 249 male and 252 females who graduated prior to 1949 were followed up to determine the relationship between test performance, grades, and curriculum from which graduated. "These tests can predict to a limited extent the grades students will obtain in various kinds of courses.… Curricular profiles can be constructed… vocational interest tests differentiate better among curricular groups than do other kinds of tests and… prediction of which curriculum a student will graduate from can be made better with an interest test than with either aptitude or achievement tests.… For those training programs which are at college levels, differential abilities do not appear to be very important when compared to differential interests.… " (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)