- Tend to agree. The perspective and specific requirements of a highly-selective institution such as UChicago may limit the applicability of this more generalized set of conclusions, particularly because most of the GPA and ACT ranges would be considered on the lower end of the distribution for incoming admits. UChicago might instead be more interested in the UC Faculty Senate study, since that one specifically addressed the role of standardized testing in admissions policy for a highly selective research institution. The Faculty Senate study also examined a more detailed set of "success" measures in addition to college graduation rates, such as freshman GPA and retention rates and overall college GPA (which would factor in to graduate school decisions).
One nit about this study: Where are the R-squared values? I’d think that they would want to include measures of predictive validity for GPA and ACT, especially because they use terminology like “predictive power” in the press release! The study highlights GPA as packing the greater punch in an admission decision; however, if the R-square is lower than for ACT, it’s simply a less reliable predictor, even if the odds appear more favorable. For instance, the presence of grade inflation might both increase the odds AND lower predictive validity.