The relationship between acceptation in ma exam with Hopelessness and Self- handicapping

he present study investigates the hopelessness and self– handicapping as predictive bases for applicant's achievement in graduate entrance examination. A correlation model was used as the research design. The sample includes 240 succeed applicants and 250 failed applicants who took part in graduate entrance examination. Samples were selected from accepted and failed to be accepted by the graduate entrance examination in the state universities of Kurdistan, Hamadan, Oromyah and Kermanshah. All sample students were tested by Beck’s hopelessness and Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scales Questionnaires. In addition to the descriptive statistic method, the discriminate analysis method was also applied to analyses the data in this research. The findings showed that the research hypothesis was approved and demonstrated that applicant's failure or success in graduate entrance examination may be predicted based on hopelessness and self–handicapping. Additionally the results derived from data analysis are in agreement with the research literature. This research indicates that the success of applicants in graduate entrance examination can be predicted based on hopelessness and self– handicapping. Hopelessness and self–handicapping therefore have significant power to predict (p<0.001). As a result, based on this model it is possible to suggest some applied solutions for reducing hopelessness and self–handicapping among applicants. This result can also be applied in higher education institutions to help applicants to be succeeded in the graduate entrance examination.