The relationship between TOEFL/IELTS tests scores and academic performance of undergraduate students from American University of Armenia

Abstract

This study investigates possible relationship between TOEFL/IELTS scores and academic performance (GPA) between male and female undergraduate students from the American University of Armenia (AUA). Academic records of 1634 students were included from all four undergraduate programs of AUA. The data included students’ GPA, their demographic information, admission tests scores including TOEFL iBT and IELTS. Correlation analyses were conducted by Majors and Gender. The general pattern was shown through expectancy graphs and a table of descriptive statistics. The predictive validity expressed in terms of correlation did not appear to be strong. However, the general image shown in the expectancy graphs indicated that those students who had higher test scores tended to earn higher GPA in the future. So, the test scores are good at predicting future academic success. We concluded that even when there was a small correlation that meant there was an indication of significant relationship between the variables.