English proficiency test as a predictor of academic achievement in a health sciences program

Abstract

The present study aims to investigate possible correlations between academic achievement of freshman students based on English Proficiency Test (EPT) results and pre-admission criteria, i.e., High School Grade point average (GPA), the General Aptitude Test (GAT), and the Scholastic Achievement Admission Test (SAAT) at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) in Saudi Arabia. The study involved 528 first-year students enrolled in a pre-professional program in two campuses of the university. Pre- and post-tests of the EPT were conducted along with a demographic survey to gather details about the participants. Descriptive and inferential statistics analysis were applied to test the correlations between variables. The results showed a significant improvement in all components of the EPT in the two campuses. The differences in the scores among the GAT, SAAT, and EPT were significantly and positively correlated with the higher GPA. The analysis also revealed a strong correlation with higher GAT and SAAT results to scoring better in EPT and gaining a higher GPA. The improvement in the EPT results could indicate that the objectives of the English program were achieved. Finally, our study shows that the pre-admission criteria could predict students’ academic performance in an English program.