Abstract

The following study tested the relationship between admission criteria and college students’ performance in an introductory physics course. For this study, I analyzed the performance of 250 students based on two college admission standardized tests (i.e., General Aptitude Test (GAT), Scholastic Achievement Admission Test (SAAT)), and English competence performance (i.e., average English course grades and reading and communication proficiency test). Based on this analysis, GAT and SAAT, along with English competence, are significant individual predictors for students’ performance in physics. Reading proficiency tests were the best individual predictors in simple linear regression analysis with 19.6% variance. The combined methods, with multivariate regression analysis, explained only 29.3% of physics course grade variance. This low variance of Saudi admission criteria for a single physics course should motivate Saudi policymakers to conduct a national study that includes an increased number of participants. Through such a national study, more evidence-based conclusions regarding the college admission system can be made to improve the admission process for Saudi students.

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