Abstract U.S.

businesses and universities spend approximately $16 billion a year as a result of decreased productivity and increased remedial cost. Therefore, it is imperative that universities adopt higher selection standards and employers develop pre-employment selection methods that facilitate identifying the most optimal applicants. Many psychologists have confirmed that general mental ability is the best predictor of employee productivity and academic success. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relations between the Wonderlic Personnel Test, an established brief measure of intelligence, and the American College Test and college exam grades. Participants in this study will consist of approximately 300 undergraduate students, who will be enrolled in the Spring 2010 Introduction to Psychology course. We will conduct correlational analysis across variables as well as hierarchical regression analysis to evaluate how much incremental validity WPT scores add to the prediction of college exam grades, over and above that which can be accounted for by ACT scores. Results will help to determine if both tests could be employed in conjunction to improve industries, organizations, and universities selection methods. That is, WPT scores could be employed by colleges to predict college preparation and success and to improve college-level scholarship and graduation rates. ACT scores could be employed by industries and organizations to identify those employees who will potentially do outstanding on the WPT and to increase employee productivity and the number of talented employees available for future promotion.