New study data indicates that the Classic Learning Test (CLT), an alternative to standardized college admissions tests, is a good predictor of how well Grove City College students who took the test fare in their first year.
The study, conducted by Dr. Gary Welton, assistant dean for Institutional Assessment, analyzed a sample of 235 Grove City College students to examine the test’s “efficacy as a predictor of academic success.”
The results, based on CLT scores, grade point averages, and retention and graduation rates, indicate “a significant positive correlation” between CLT scores and first-year performance at the College, Welton concluded. “CLT is not only a valid predictor but also a robust and highly effective instrument for identifying students prepared for the rigors of higher education,” he said.
Grove City College began using the test in addition to SAT and ACT in 2017. The CLT tests verbal reasoning, grammar and writing, and quantitative reasoning. The test draws on “the greatest and most enduring texts that have informed and shaped society,” according to CLT’s website.
While the CLT is a logical choice for students from homeschool and classical school backgrounds, where “great books” curricula dominate, the study found that the only statistically significant difference in scores between students from all school backgrounds, including public schools, was that homeschooled students scored higher on the writing section of the test. There were no significant differences in scores of minority and non-minority students, though men did better than women on the test, the survey found.
Welton’s study indicated that a student’s score on the CLT’s verbal section was the strongest individual predictor of first year success. Strong verbal scores also had a significant relationship with a student’s persistence, which “suggests that the skills measured by the CLT may also be related to the non-cognitive factors that contribute to student retention. Students who enter with stronger verbal reasoning skills, as measured by the CLT, are more likely to successfully navigate their first year and continue their studies,” according to Welton.
Welton compared his data on first year GPAs of Grove City College students who took the CLT with results of a 2024 College Board study of students who took the SAT and found a predictive correlation elevation of 5 basis points in favor of in favor of the CLT students. That, he says, suggests CLT is a “more precise instrument for forecasting student success.”
“This enhanced validity may be attributed to its distinct pedagogical philosophy, which prioritizes the deep analytical and verbal reasoning skills cultivated by a classical curriculum—the very skills essential for success in a demanding academic environment,” Welton noted.
In the shifting landscape of higher education, where some see a decline in rigor associated with traditional SAT and ACT testing, Welton said the CLT has emerged as “not merely as an alternative, but as a potential restoration of robust academic standards” to college testing.
“For institutions like Grove City College, and others committed to academic excellence, the CLT has proven itself to be an invaluable tool. The results of this study strongly support its continued and expanded use as a primary means of assessing collegiate readiness,” Welton concluded.
Noah Tyler ’04, Chief Strategy Officer for CLT, hailed his alma mater’s use of the test for admissions and its commitment to verifying its value through the study.
“The entrepreneurial spirit of leadership at Grove City College led them to recognize the alignment of this new admissions test and of the students attracted to take it. This study measures the strongly positive return on investment of that enterprising decision,” he said. “The CLT is not just a signal of educational background, but higher scores are an indication of top performance at one of America's top institutions of higher education.”
Click here to see the full study, Classic Learning Test as a Predictor of Student Performance.