How are applicants rated in the ETS PPI?
The evaluation consists of 24 questions (four for each of the six dimensions) plus an overall evaluation. Evaluators use a 5-point Likert scale to rate the applicant relative to other students from the same department or program who have gone on to graduate study. The scale points are “Below Average,” “Average,” “Above Average,” “Outstanding (Top 5%),” and “Truly Exceptional (Top 1%).” Evaluators may also provide comments for each of the six dimensions and for the overall rating. ETS converts the ratings to numerical equivalents and computes means for each evaluator for each dimension, as well as for all evaluators across each dimension and for the “overall evaluation” category. The ETS PPI Evaluation Report (PDF) provides graphical representations of the data and includes any comments provided by the evaluators.
