Exploring the interplay of general and specific academic achievement in predicting college performance

Higher education admission policies typically prioritize Grade Point Average (GPA) as the primary criterion for college admissions, often overlooking the potential significance of specific academic achievements. This study contributes to the debate on the relative importance of general versus specific academic achievements in predicting college performance, an area less explored compared to the interplay between cognitive abilities and performance outcomes. This research analyzes twelfth-grade subject scores and college GPAs from four engineering programs (Aeronautical, System, Marine, and Civil) in Oman, as well as the combined sample. EFA and CFA results indicate that a bifactor achievement model, comprising general and two specific factors (Math-Science and Humanities-Social Sciences), adequately represents the twelfth-grade data. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) correlated these factors with college performance in the first, middle, and final years, separately for each program and the combined sample. The findings show that the Math-Science factor is the strongest predictor in the combined sample and Marine Engineering across all three years, while the general factor demonstrates broader but varying relevance in Aeronautical and Systems Engineering, especially in the middle and final years. The Humanities-Social Sciences factor has no significant impact at any level of study, and none of the factors predict performance in Civil Engineering. These results underscore the need to consider both general and specific academic achievements in admission predictive models, highlighting the dynamic interplay between program focus and student achievement profiles.