Cognitive, Interest, and Personality Variables Predicting First-Semester GPA

Abstract

124 freshmen entering engineering were administered the College Major Interest Indicator, Adjective Checklist (personality), Ship Destination Test (symbolic reasoning), and the Logical Reasoning test (verbal reasoning) to identify what combination of variables would best predict the first semester's GPA. Scores on these tests along with SAT-Verbal and Mathematics scores were used in a series of multiple regression analyses. Personality test scores alone were the best predictors of GPA ( r = .78).