Admission testing, pre-academic exam self-efficacy, and retention. A prospective cohort study

Several studies have indicated the presence of a retention effect of admission testing in higher education, but so far little is known about the possible mechanisms behind such an effect. The aim of this study was to examine the associations between admission testing, selected psychological attributes, program performance and early dropout at university for two admission tracks (grade-based admission and test-based admission). Students from five faculties were surveyed at baseline in a prospective cohort study design. Multivariate logistic regression was used to model first-year dropout for 499 students. Results indicated the presence of a retention effect of pre-academic exam self-efficacy (PAE-SE) for the subgroup of students admitted via test-based admission. Implications of the results for research and admission testing practice are discussed.