A study was designed in which a battery of 11 selected instruments was given to 320 professional students (four classes) at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine to measure a variety of parameters of brain function and cognitive ability. Results were to be used to develop ability or competency profiles, to compare scores, to identify abilities and skills that contribute to success, and to build a database of information about students' information-processing skills. The primary conclusion reached after reviewing all the scores is that, in spite of the national concern over a perceived weakness in female performance in the sciences, females in the study population were equal on every measure to their male counterparts, as shown by their average scores. Too little information was available to draw any conclusions about minority students. It was also observed that students' progress in the preclinical portion of the curriculum could be enhanced by students' having a more detailed view of their learning-related abilities and by instructors' understanding and appreciation of the competencies that contribute to academic achievement. Thirty-seven figures illustrate study findings. (Contains 18 references.) (SLD)