It is common practice in many MBA programs to require applicants to arrange for a letter of reference. Some universities have their own forms in which referees assess the applicant using the following categories:

5: The candidate is in the top 5% of applicants.

4: The candidate is in the top 10% of applicants, but not in the top 5%.

3: The candidate is in the top 25% of applicants, but not in the top 10%.

2: The candidate is in the top 50% of applicants, but not in the top 25%.

1: The candidate is in the bottom 50% of applicants.

However, the question arises, Are the referees’ ratings related to how well the applicant performs in the MBA program? To answer the question, a random sample of recently graduated MBAs was drawn.

For each, the rating of the referee and the MBA grade-point average (GPA) were recorded. Do these data present sufficient evidence to infer that the letter of reference and the MBA GPA are related?