Growth mindset is not associated with scholastic aptitude in a large sample of university applicants

- We measured mindset of 5653 university applicants taking a scholastic aptitude test.
- Growth mindset was not positively associated with results of the test.
- Mindset did not predict change of the results for those who retook the test.
- Mindset did not predict participation in a future administration of the test.
- Mindset did not predict the total number of tests taken.

Implicit theories of intelligence have been proposed to predict a large number of different outcomes in education. The belief that intelligence is malleable (growth mindset) is supposed to lead to better academic achievement and students' mindset is therefore a potential target for interventions. The present study used a large sample of university applicants (N = 5653) taking a scholastic aptitude test to further examine the relationship between mindset and achievement in the academic domain. We found that results in the test were slightly negatively associated with growth mindset (r = − 0.03). Mindset showed no relationship with the number of test administrations participants signed up for and it did not predict change in the test results. The results show that the strength of the association between academic achievement and mindset might be weaker than previously thought.