Article Figures & Data
Tables
- Table 1.
Mean PCAT Scores and GPAs by Status at the End of the First Year of Pharmacy Study for Students Entering the Participating Programs in Fall Semester 2008
Academic Characteristics Still Enrolled Discontinued Prior to Second Year Good Academic Standing Academic Probation PCAT Verbal Ability SS 412.3 403.7 399.6 PCAT Biology SS 417.5 406.4 402.8 PCAT Reading Comprehension SS 412.1 404.2 401.3 PCAT Quantitative Ability SS 414.5 403.9 405.4 PCAT Chemistry SS 417.2 404.2 401.5 PCAT Composite SS 414.7 404.6 402.1 PCAT Writing: Conventions of Language 3.03 2.86 2.81 PCAT Writing: Problem Solving 2.95 2.98 2.84 Entering GPA: Cumulative 3.5 3.3 3.4 Entering GPA: Math 3.5 3.2 3.3 Entering GPA: Science 3.4 3.1 3.3 First-Year Pharmacy GPA 3.3 2.4 2.1 n (%) 2,161 (96.3) 57 (2.5) 26 (1.2) Abbreviations: PCAT = Pharmacy College Admission Test; SS = scaled score; GPA = grade point average; entering GPA = earned prior to admission to pharmacy program; first-year pharmacy GPA = GPA earned during the first year of a doctor of pharmacy program; mean GPA for all first-year students = 3.2 (n = 2244)
- Table 2.
Correlations Between Predictors and GPA in First Year of Pharmacy Program (N = 2,244)
Variable First Year GPA Uncorrected Corrected r r2 r* r*2 PCAT Verbal Ability SS 0.13 0.02 0.16 0.03 PCAT Biology SS 0.26 0.07 0.35 0.12 PCAT Reading Comprehension SS 0.17 0.03 0.24 0.06 PCAT Quantitative Ability SS 0.21 0.05 0.28 0.08 PCAT Chemistry SS 0.29 0.09 0.36 0.13 PCAT Composite SS 0.32 0.10 0.44 0.20 PCAT Writing: Conventions of Language 0.06 0.003 PCAT Writing: Problem Solving 0.06 0.003 Entering GPA: Cumulative 0.44 0.19 Entering GPA: Math 0.28 0.08 Entering GPA: Science 0.44 0.19 Abbreviations: SS = scaled score; GPA = grade point average; r = correlation coefficient; r2 = the percent of one variable explainable by another variable
All correlations are weighted means of the correlations for the 22 schools combined based on Fisher's z transformations; the corrected correlations were done using the formula of Cohen et al.5
- Table 3.
Multiple Regression Analyses for PCAT Scores, Entering GPAs, and Demographic Variables as Predictors of First-Year Pharmacy GPAS
Predictor Variables Regression Models 1. PCAT Scores 2. Entering GPAs 3. PCAT Scores + Entering GPAs 4. PCAT Scores + Entering GPAs + All Demo. Unst. Stand. Unst. Stand. Unst. Stand. Unst. Stand. PCAT Verbal Ability SS -0.003 -0.07 * * * * PCAT Biology SS 0.01 0.12 0.01 0.12 0.01 0.12 PCAT Reading Comprehension SS 0.01 0.12 0.01 0.13 0.01 0.11 PCAT Quantitative Ability SS 0.004 0.08 * * * * PCAT Chemistry SS 0.01 0.17 0.004 0.09 0.01 0.11 PCAT Writing: CL * * * * * * PCAT Writing: PS * * * * * * Entering GPA: Math 0.19 0.10 0.19 0.10 0.19 0.10 Entering GPA: Science 0.97 0.37 0.87 0.34 0.95 0.37 Age -0.02 -0.08 Candidate Earned: At Least Bachelor's 0.28 0.12 All Other Demographic Variables * * R2 0.10 0.19 0.25 0.27 Abbreviations: PCAT = Pharmacy College Admission Test; R2 = coefficient of determination; SS = scaled score; CL = conventions of language; PS = problem solving; GPA = grade point average; Age = candidate's age on Aug. 1, 2008; All Other Demographic Variables = student's sex, ethnicity, native language, citizenship, parents' education, previous level and type of school attended; PCAT Scores = all subtest scores combined; Unst. = unstandardized regression coefficients; Stand. = standardized coefficients estimates; All Demo. = all demographic variables available; * = no significant contribution
Writing CL and PS scores were dummy variables set as 1 when greater than or equal to 3.0 (otherwise 0). All demographic variables except age were dummy variables (either 1 or 0).
