Comparison of student achievement with performance ratings of graduates and state board examination scores.

For a study concerned with investigating relationships between the on-the-job performance of 1971 graduates of a diploma school of nursing, their achievements as students in the school, and their state board scores, the school's curriculum objectives were used in developing an instrument for measuring graduates' competence. Findings indicated how well the learning experiences provided by the school prepared the students for first-level positions in nursing. The three-year cumulative grade point averages and nursing theory and grades were best predictors of success on state board examinations, and nursing practice grades were best predicators of performance as registered nurses.