ArticlePloS one2018
Multi-institutional study of GRE scores as predictors of STEM PhD degree completion: GRE gets a low mark.
Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 72 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Randomized Study to Assess the Effect of Including the Graduate Record Examinations Results on Reviewer Scores for Underrepresented Minorities.American journal of epidemiology · 2021Trial
- Undergraduate GPA does not predict success in PhD programs for cohorts of MS students at two minority-serving institutions.PloS one · 2026Article
- Benefits of promoting scholarship among program directors: promoting scholarship among directors is a win-win-win for institutions, trainees, and directors.Frontiers in research metrics and analytics · 2024Article
- A developmental approach to diversifying neuroscience through effective mentorship practices: perspectives on cross-identity mentorship and a critical call to action.Frontiers in integrative neuroscience · 2023Article
- Undergraduate GPA Predicts Biochemistry PhD Completion and Is Associated with Time to Degree.CBE life sciences education · 2022Article
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- Improved and Sustained Graduate Programs Diversity Outcomes: a 10-year Analysis and Summary of the Brown University IMSD Program.Journal for STEM education research · 2021Article
- Who Are We Missing? Examining the Graduate Record Examination Quantitative Score as a Barrier to Admission into Psychology Doctoral Programs for Capable Ethnic Minorities.Training and education in professional psychology · 2021Article
- Mentorship, equity, and research productivity: lessons from a pandemic.Biological conservation · 2021Article
- Instructional Set Moderates the Effect of GRE on Faculty Appraisals of Applicant Competence: A Vignette Study With Implications for Holistic Review.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Article
- Performance measures of racially underrepresented Ph.D. students in biomedical sciences: The UAMS IMSD Program Outcomes.PloS one · 2021Article
- Diversity through equity and inclusion: The responsibility belongs to all of us.Molecular biology of the cell · 2020Article
- Organic Chemistry: A Retrosynthetic Approach to a Diverse Field.ACS central science · 2020Article
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- Predicting professional school performance with a unique lens: are there other cognitive predictors?BMC medical education · 2020Article
- Typical physics Ph.D. admissions criteria limit access to underrepresented groups but fail to predict doctoral completion.Science advances · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The process of selecting students likely to complete science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) doctoral programs has not changed greatly over the last few decades and still relies heavily on Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores in most U.S. universities. It has been long debated whether the GRE is an appropriate selection tool and whether overreliance on GRE scores may compromise admission of students historically underrepresented in STEM. Despite many concerns about the test, there are few studies examining the efficacy of the GRE in predicting PhD completion and even fewer examining this question in STEM fields. For the present study, we took advantage of a long-lived collaboration among institutions in the Northeast Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (NEAGEP) to gather comparable data on GRE scores and PhD completion for 1805 U.S./Permanent Resident STEM doctoral students in four state flagship institutions. We found that GRE Verbal (GRE V) and GRE Quantitative (GRE Q) scores were similar for women who completed STEM PhD degrees and those who left programs. Remarkably, GRE scores were significantly higher for men who left than counterparts who completed STEM PhD degrees. In fact, men in the lower quartiles of GRE V or Q scores finished degrees more often than those in the highest quartile. This pattern held for each of the four institutions in the study and for the cohort of male engineering students across institutions. GRE scores also failed to predict time to degree or to identify students who would leave during the first year of their programs. Our results suggests that GRE scores are not an effective tool for identifying students who will be successful in completing STEM doctoral programs. Considering the high cost of attrition from PhD programs and its impact on future leadership for the U.S. STEM workforce, we suggest that it is time to develop more effective and inclusive admissions strategies.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.