Making the Grade? Academic Performance as a Predictor of Work Performance and Turnover

Many organizations assess job applicants’ academic performance (AP) when making selection decisions. However, researchers and practitioners have recently suggested that AP is not as relevant to work behavior as it used to be due to factors such as grade inflation and increased differences between the academic and work contexts. The present meta-analysis (total k = 114) examines whether, and under what conditions, AP is a useful predictor of future work behavior. Mean correlations (corrected for measurement error in both variables) between AP and outcomes were .23 for job performance, .37 for training performance, and .00 for turnover. Further, AP is a better predictor of job performance (a) for jobs that require attributes like those important to success in an academic context, (b) for graduate school AP than for undergraduate school and high school AP, (c) for professor ratings of AP than for grades and class rank, and (d) for samples that include applicants from the same university or from the same major. Finally, although the predictive validity of AP has decreased in more recent years, this decrease appears to be due to the use of less-optimal study designs. Overall, the present results suggest it is premature to abandon AP in research and practice. Instead, researchers and organizations should carefully consider whether and how AP is relevant to particular jobs and outcomes, as well as use research designs and measures that optimize the predictive value of AP.