An Alternative Presentation of Incremental Validity: Discrepant SAT and HSGPA Performance

This study examined discrepant high school grade point average (HSGPA) and SAT performance as measured by the difference between a student's standardized SAT composite score and standardized HSGPA. The SAT-HSGPA discrepancy measure was used to examine whether certain students are more likely to exhibit discrepant performance and in what direction. Additionally, the relationship between the SAT-HSGPA discrepancy measure and other academic indicators was examined. Finally, the relationship between the SAT-HSGPA discrepancy measure and the error term of three admission models (HSGPA only, SAT score only, and HSGPA and SAT scores) was examined. Results indicated that females, minority, low socioeconomic status, and nonnative English speakers were more likely to have higher HSGPAs relative to their SAT scores. Furthermore, using only HSGPA for admission overpredicted college performance for those students who had higher HSGPA as compared with SAT scores and underpredicted college performance for students with higher SAT scores as compared with HSGPA. The results underscore the utility of using both HSGPA and test scores for admission decisions.