Comparative Validity of the College Board Scholastic Aptitude Test-Mathematics and the Descriptive Tests of Mathematics Skills for Predicting Performance in College Mathematics Courses'

Abstract

Scores from the Descriptive Tests of Mathematics Skills (DTMS) (a set of tests designed to reflect the content of beginning mathematics courses and to assist in placement decisions) were compared with scores from the College Board Scholastic Aptitude Test-Mathematics (SAT-M) in predicting grades in freshman level mathematics courses at two institutions. For more advanced courses (elementary functions and calculus), the DTMS and SAT performed about equally well. But for remedial algebra courses, predictions from the DTMS were clearly superior to those from the SAT-M. General aptitude tests that are valid for selection decisions may be considerably less valid for predicting success in specific courses.