The PSQ Pilot Program

The PSQ tool began as a joint research project with a team from the Yale School of Management that wanted to assess applicants' behavioral skills to determine how they would perform once on campus. PSQ was developed through this initiative, and after a multiyear pilot study with about 8,000 participants, Yale officially adopted the tool and is using it operationally. Other institutions of higher education are using it as well.      

"We found that this [tool] adds incremental predictability beyond measures we were already using. By adding an instrument that doesn't rely on subjective interpretation like essays and interviews do, our hope is to reduce bias in the admissions process," said Bruce DelMonico, Assistant Dean of Admissions at Yale School of Management.  

DelMonico also describes how Yale uses the tool in a video on the school's MBA admissions webpage.

A paper sharing outcomes of the project is currently in consideration with a peer-review journal. Its primary author, ETS Distinguished Presidential Appointee Patrick Kyllonen, said it confirms that several interpersonal and intrapersonal skills predicted outcomes that the Yale SOM team was interested in predicting.

Read more about the project in the Yale School of Management blog and Poets & Quants.

Pilot program and perspectives

ETS researchers piloted the PSQ tool with more than 20 institutions, including business, law and other graduate programs. These included minority-serving and international institutions. The goal of the pilots was to validate PSQ in diverse contexts and to continuously refine the tool to meet user’s needs and requirements.

One critical piece of feedback from the pilots was that insights from the PSQ tool (originally designed as an admissions tool) would also be a valuable aid for student development. Subsequently, we began piloting the use of the tool for development purposes.

"Measurement of abilities such as persistence, self-efficacy and engagement have proven most effective in predicting success in college and beyond offering the potential for continued enhancement during the college experience," said Carrol S. Perrino, Professor Emeritus, Psychology Department, and Founding Director of the Center for Predictive Analytics at Morgan State University. 

Some pilot participants were interested in using PSQ insights to enhance cohort development and inform applicant interviews. They wanted to understand their applicants beyond traditional measures, in a less biased way than letters and personal statements allow.    

"We are excited to partner with ETS in yet another innovative venture to identify ways of assessing law school candidates for the skills that will allow them to succeed in law school and their legal careers. Wake Forest Law alumni are known for their outstanding character and we are thrilled to have a potential tool in the PSQ [tool] that will help identify future students whose strong character traits may be veiled by more traditional evaluative methods," said Jane Aiken, Dean at Wake Forest School of Law.