ACCESS TO HIGHER-EDUCATION IN PORTUGAL - SELECTION PROCEDURES REVISITED FROM STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY-OF-LISBON

Higher education selection procedures in Portugal are presented and ex amined from the point of view of their relatedness and the predictive validity to academic performance in the first year of higher education . Data collected from 1989 to 1992 on freshmen samples at the Faculty of Psychology and Education of the University of Lisbon showed that th e high school record relates more consistently to academic performance (grade point average and number of courses completed) than entrance e xaminations (national examination and university examinations), for wh ich the pattern varies across groups. Technical aspects and the social implications of selection practices are discussed.