Abstract
University admission mechanisms are often quite complex. This paper examines one effect of their design on the students’ incentives to exert effort in preparation for the test. We adapt a multi-unit all-pay model of auction to draw the conclusion that abler students work harder: this conclusion is in line with the behaviour of a sample of students who apply for admission to the Greek university system with the complex rules newly introduced in 2013.
Acknowledgment
The authors would like to thank George Papakonstantinou for providing the survey questionnaire and the dataset. We are also grateful to Editor Francesca Barigozzi and two anonymous referees of this journal for their several helpful comments and suggestions.
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Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- Better School, Better Score? Evidence From a Chinese Earthquake-Stricken County
- The Effects of School Start Time on Educational Outcomes: Evidence from the 9 O’clock Attendance Policy in South Korea
- The Effect of Spousal Loss on the Cognitive Ability of the Elder
- High School Choices by Immigrant Students in Italy: Evidence from Administrative Data
- Permitting the Compensation of Birth Mothers for Adoption Expenses and its Impact on Adoptions
- Letters
- Social Efficiency of Market Entry Under Tax Policy
- Employment Protection, Workforce Mix and Firm Performance
- A Note on University Admission Tests: Simple Theory and Empirical Analysis
- Motivation in a Reciprocal Task: Interaction Effects of Task Meaning, Goal Salience, and Time Pressure
- Income Losses, Cash Transfers and Trust in Financial and Political Institutions: Survey Evidence from the Covid-19 Crisis
Articles in the same Issue
- Frontmatter
- Research Articles
- Better School, Better Score? Evidence From a Chinese Earthquake-Stricken County
- The Effects of School Start Time on Educational Outcomes: Evidence from the 9 O’clock Attendance Policy in South Korea
- The Effect of Spousal Loss on the Cognitive Ability of the Elder
- High School Choices by Immigrant Students in Italy: Evidence from Administrative Data
- Permitting the Compensation of Birth Mothers for Adoption Expenses and its Impact on Adoptions
- Letters
- Social Efficiency of Market Entry Under Tax Policy
- Employment Protection, Workforce Mix and Firm Performance
- A Note on University Admission Tests: Simple Theory and Empirical Analysis
- Motivation in a Reciprocal Task: Interaction Effects of Task Meaning, Goal Salience, and Time Pressure
- Income Losses, Cash Transfers and Trust in Financial and Political Institutions: Survey Evidence from the Covid-19 Crisis