Is GPA an Accurate Measure of Intelligence?
Is GPA an accurate measure of how smart a person is? It seems as if it may just be a measurement of how hard any given person is willing to work. A student who is more diligent at filling out worksheets, taking notes, doing homework, and subsequently memorizing that information for tests and quizzes will have a higher GPA than a student who may be "smarter" but not work as hard. For colleges to put so much weight on a student's GPA for admittance seems a bit unfair. What about students who always do their homework and take extensive notes, but are poor testers? Those students may have gotten an "A" grade on every single assignment all year, but scored uncharacteristically poorly on their semester final, thus dropping their grade in the class a large amount. However, to the admissions officers at the colleges we're applying to, all the grades look the same, regardless of external classroom circumstances. Another debate about GPA is that it is a uniform measurement for classroom performance, when every student's classroom experience is not the same. For example, two students who take the same AP English Literature class with the same curriculum could do the same amount of work and receive completely different grades because one has a teacher with more strict grading procedure.
According to Susan D. Ridgell and John W. Lounsbury of the College Student Journal:
"General intelligence, Big Five personality traits, and the construct Work Drive were studied in relation to two measures of collegiate academic performance: a single course grade received by undergraduate students in an introductory psychology course, and self-reported GPA. General intelligence and Work Drive were found to be significantly positively related to both course grade and GPA"
The rest of the article can be found here:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCR/is_4_38/ai_n9770166/
Comments
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Dear Joe:
I definitely connected with your concerns stated in your post, "Is GPA an Accurate Measure of Intelligence", because I've had college fears on my mind. I've wondered how much my GPA and my SAT and ACT test scores tell about who I am, how "smart" I am.
One sentence you wrote that stood out to me was: "What about students who always do their homework and take extensive notes, but are poor testers?" I can personally relate to this because I am one of those people who is a poor tester. I study hard, yet time restrictions always seem to catch me off guard. I am a slow test taker, even when I understand the subject perfectly.
Also, the sentence "Another debate about GPA is that it is a uniform measurement for classroom performance, when every student's classroom experience is not the same," caught my interest. I relate to this completely. Honors Biology is one of the hardest classes I have ever taken at Judge. An honors biology class at another school could be drastically different from such a challenging class.
This reminds me of something that relates to my life now. I've been restudying for the SAT and ACT scores. It has been frustrating because I've been having trouble getting the scores I want. Being a slow test taker, it's difficult to take tests with such vigorous time constraints, and the importance that colleges put on those tests puts a lot of pressure on me.
Thanks for bringing this issue into the spotlight. I look forward to what you'll write about next because I too have kept this subject close to my thoughts. It is refreshing to find someone else that is distressed about GPAs and their accuracy.
Laura
I really enjoyed reading
I really enjoyed reading this post. When I was younger people always said i wasn't smart, but the definition of thier smart is what people can get on a test grade. what if the smartest person in a school decided not to do any work and instead did nothing, would that person be any less intelligent?
I believe the reasons colleges look at grades is because instead of showing how smart someone is, it shows their dedication to school. a student who is more dedicated towards school is more likely to join clubs and other activities
Dear Joe: I somewhat
Dear Joe:
I somewhat agree with your post, "Is GPA an Accurate Measure of Intelligence?," because I believe that GPA is valuable but not standardized tests. I do wonder about the "uniformity" of GPA though, because I agree that other people in other schools who take the "same" classes might put more or less work into the class but get a better or worse grade.
One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: "For colleges to put so much weight on a student's GPA for admittance seems a bit unfair". I think this is incorrect because out of all of the things that colleges take into account for admittance, GPA seems to me to be the most fair. Your cumulative GPA reflect all 4 years of high school. I think standardized tests on the other hand are not nearly as fair because it's just one test and having a bad day could throw off your score.
A sentence that I agree with is: "Another debate about GPA is that it is a uniform measurement for classroom performance, when every student's classroom experience is not the same." This stood out for me because we go to a private school. We are supposed to be getting a better education and colleges take this into account, but still, AP and Honors classes are taken by students at public schools and their GPA is sometimes weighted because of this.
Your post reminds me of something that happened to me. I've had to start the college application process and take the SAT and ACT. I've been looking up information about colleges' acceptance information including the GPA that is accepted, SAT/ACT scores, etc.
Thanks for your work on this. I look forward to seeing what you create next, because this post was interesting and relevant to what a lot of people are going through with the college process.
Dear Joe: I enjoyed your
Dear Joe:
I enjoyed your post, "Is GPA and Average Measure of Intelligence," because I agree with your statements. You argue your points very well with examples and great insight. It addresses a flaw in the college admissions system because of how they weight the GPA so much.
One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: "For colleges to put so much weight on a student's GPA for admittance seems a bit unfair." I think this is insightful because there are so many kids who are truly smart but it doesn't reflect in their GPA for one reason or another.
Another sentence that I found interesting was: "However, to the admissions officers at the colleges we're applying to, all the grades look the same, regardless of external classroom circumstances." This stood out for me because GPA can be affected by so many factors that have nothing to do with academics.
Your post reminds me of something that happened to me. I don't have the best GPA but when it comes to the true tests of learning like AP tests or the ACT or SAT I do just as well as the kids who earn a higher GPA. It shows that the letter grades aren't a totally accurate portrayal of how well a student is learning and retaining the information they are receiving in school.
Thanks for your work on this. I look forward to seeing what you create next, because this was very interesting and an in depth analysis of GPA.
Dear Joe, I enjoyed your
Dear Joe,
I enjoyed your post, "Is GPA an accurate measurement of intelligence?" because it brings up a classic debate within the academic community. The concept of measuring a student's ability soley through GPA and standardized tests has been hashed and re-hashed as we determine what we really want out of our students.
One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: "A student who is more diligent at filling out worksheets, taking notes, doing homework, and subsequently memorizing that information for tests and quizzes will have a higher GPA than a student who may be "smarter" but not work as hard." I think this is a difficult topic because although those who complete all the "busy work" and get an "A" may not be necessarily "smarter" than someone who is able to get concepts easily and remember important information. However, i believe that in the grand scheme of things, colleges want kids who will rise to the challenge, who will excell at anything they put their mind to, no matter how menotinous. Colleges want to see kids who so whatever it takes to get something done and commit to everything they attempt in life.
Another sentence that I liked was: "Another debate about GPA is that it is a uniform measurement for classroom performance, when every student's classroom experience is not the same." This stood out for me because i believe that colleges do look at the legitamacy of high schools, and have a pretty good feeling of what the school is up to. If the school has a reputation for slacking off, they will not percieve a 4.0 student from that school as positively as one who has a 4.0 from an extremely difficult and rigorous school.
Your post reminds me of something that happened to me. One time I had to decide whether to go to two different high schools based on the battle between athletics and academics. I eventually chose to go to the "easier" more athletic oriented school, but when i was there i chose the hardest classes and applied myself the best i could. I found that my academic performance and experience really became whatever i wanted it to be, and the "easier" school was based on the laziness of the students themselves, not the teachers. Most of the students at the school rarely applied themselves or went the extra mile to excell. So maybe it is all about our individual academic journey and challenging ourselves, rather than following a strict curriculum and then complaining that we are subordinate.
Thanks for your work on this. I look forward to seeing what you create next, because i can tell you are really passionate about issues that concern you and you bring up interesting issues.
Dear Joe: I agree with
Dear Joe:
I agree with your post, "Is GPA an Accurate Measure of Intelligence" because I believe that there are many brilliant people in my school that get shabby grades because they don't spend the time to do everything completely. There are also some really dumb people that work really diligently and get amazing grades.
One sentence you wrote that stands out for me is: "For colleges to put so much weight on a student's GPA for admittance seems a bit unfair" I think this is blameworthy because there are many students that are very smart out that that deserve to go and study something they like in college, but are unable to because they didn't care to try in high school.
Another sentence that I give carte blanche was: "GPA is that it is a uniform measurement for classroom performance, when every student's classroom experience is not the same." This stood out for me because the classroom has a very necessary role in a students success. If a student is not able to learn at their full advantage because of disruptions in the class, then their learning will be jeapordzed.
Your pst reminds me of something that happened to me. One time I deceided that I no longer needed to try anymore because the classroom experience that I had was negating my learning. I tried to talk to the teacher about it, but he just said tosuck it up. I really couldn't learn in that environment so i just decided to stop. I only took the tests.
Thanks for your work on this. I look forward to seeing what you create next, because it was very helpful for me. It opened my eyes to something that i have never really noticed. You have really brought something out that I never really realized until you mentioned it, and I totally agree with you.
GPA?
No, it is neither a measure of intelligence nor one of work ethic. My GPA is about 3.4, but using different measures to simulate it (Wonderlic, past IQ tests, ACT score) I can conclude that my IQ is at least 150, and probably somewhere around 160 on a scale with a standard deviation of 150. It's high, but hard to figure out because many tests have ceilings at the equivalent of an IQ of 150(ACT, SAT) or 160(IQ test, Wonderlic). For example, an error due to a broken clock was the only thing that cost me a perfect score on the ACT, not to mention high blood sugar due to diabetes and the fact that at the time I took the test my ADHD was pretty much uncontrolled. Now that it is controlled, my IQ is probably higher on the tests. I took an IQ test at age 13 and despite diabetes, ADHD, sex hormones raging through me, and a low ceiling on the test, I scored a 150 (SD 15) on the (I believe) WISC-IV. Due to ADHD, my IQ has actually risen over the years, so 160 is a good estimate.
GPA
Joe, I would definitely have to agree with you on this one. It seems to me that not only students, but teachers have forgotten the real reason behind lessons. The reason of course being to actually learn something. We live in this world where grades have been inflated, where everyone HAS TO GET AN A. I think people often forget that a C is average. Statistically speaking, most of us should be getting C's. The only problem with this is that with the rise in college attendance, if one wants to compete, a C simply just doesn't make the cut. The C essentially, has become the new F.