Types of Employment Tests
Introduction
Hundreds of tests are available to help employers in making
decisions. In the section on Information to Consider When Creating or
Purchasing a Test there is a discussion of what one needs to consider in
choosing what test to use. In this section, general types of tests are
described and their general pros and cons related. Tests discussed
in this section are ones for which some general evidence of validity has been
provided. A test is valid if the inferences made based on the test score
are accurate (e.g., if we are correct in concluding that how well the individual
does on the test tells us how well he/she will perform on the job).
Some tests, such as graphology and polygraphs, have little evidence of validity
for employment decision-making purposes and thus are not discussed here.
All of the tests discussed here have been demonstrated to relate to one or more
critical employment outcomes.
Before deciding that a particular type of test is what you
want, however, you should first establish a) does testing make sense (see
section on Employment Testing Overview)
and b) what it is you want to assess (see section on Establishing
an Effective Employee Testing Program). The determination of what
it is you want to measure with the test should precede the determination of how
you are going to measure it.
1.
Assessment Centers
Assessment centers can be designed to measure many different types of job
related skills and abilities, but are often used to assess interpersonal skills,
communication skills, planning and organizing, and analytical skills. The assessment center typically consists of exercises that reflect job
content and types of problems faced on the job. For example, individuals might be evaluated on their ability to make a
sales presentation or on their behavior in a simulated meeting. In addition to these simulation exercises, assessment centers often
include other kinds of tests such as cognitive ability tests, personality
inventories, and job knowledge tests. The
assessment center typically uses multiple raters who are trained to observe,
classify, and evaluate behaviors. At
the end of the assessment center, the raters meet to make overall judgments
about peoples performance in the center.
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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Have been demonstrated to
produce valid inferences for a number of organizational outcomes
(e.g., promotion rates).
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Can reduce business costs by
identifying individuals for hiring, promotion or training who possess
the needed skills and abilities.
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May be viewed positively by
test takers who see the close relationship between the test and the
job.
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Can provide useful feedback to
test takers regarding needed training and development.
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Focus more heavily on behavior
demonstration than simply assessing characteristics.
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Use trained raters.
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Are typically less likely to
differ in results by gender and race than other types of tests.
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Can be costly to create and
administer.
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Require more labor (e.g.,
assessors, role-players, etc.) to administer than most other methods.
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Require more time to
administer than most other methods.
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Can be difficult to keep
calibrated or standardized across time and locations.
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2.
Biographical Data
The content
of biographical data instruments varies widely, and may include such areas as
leadership, teamwork skills, specific job knowledge and specific skills (e.g.,
knowledge of certain software, specific mechanical tool use), interpersonal
skills, extraversion, creativity, etc.
Biographical data typically uses questions about education, training,
work experience, and interests to predict success on the job.
Some biographical data instruments also ask about an individuals
attitudes, personal assessments of skills, and personality.
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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Can be administered via paper
and pencil or computerized methods easily to large numbers.
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Can be cost effective to
administer.
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Have been demonstrated to
produce valid inferences for a number of organizational outcomes
(e.g., turnover, performance).
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Are typically less likely to
differ in results by gender and race than other types of tests.
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Does not require skilled
administrators.
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Can reduce business costs by
identifying individuals for hiring, promotion or training who possess
the needed skills and abilities.
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May lead to individuals
responding in a way to create a positive decision outcome rather than
how they really are (i.e., they may try to positively manage their
impression or even fake their response).
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Do not always provide
sufficient information for developmental feedback (i.e., individuals
cannot change their past).
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Can be time-consuming to
develop if not purchased off-the-shelf.
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3.
Cognitive Ability Tests
Cognitive ability tests typically
use questions or problems to measure ability to learn quickly, logic, reasoning,
reading comprehension and other enduring mental abilities that are fundamental
to success in many different jobs. Cognitive ability tests assess a
persons aptitude or potential to solve job-related problems by providing
information about their mental abilities such as verbal or mathematical
reasoning and perceptual abilities like speed in recognizing letters of the
alphabet.
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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Have been demonstrated to
produce valid inferences for a number of organizational outcomes
(e.g., performance, success in training).
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Have been demonstrated to
predict job performance particularly for more complex jobs.
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Can be administered via paper
and pencil or computerized methods easily to large numbers.
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Can be cost effective to
administer.
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Does not typically require
skilled administrators.
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Can reduce business costs by
identifying individuals for hiring, promotion or training who possess
the needed skills and abilities.
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Will not be influenced by test
taker attempts to impression manage or fake responses.
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4.
Integrity Tests
Integrity tests assess attitudes and experiences
related to a persons honesty, dependability, trustworthiness, reliability,
and pro-social behavior. These tests typically ask direct questions
about previous experiences related to ethics and integrity OR ask questions
about preferences and interests from which inferences are drawn about future
behavior in these areas. Integrity tests are used to identify individuals who
are likely to engage in inappropriate, dishonest, and antisocial behavior at
work.
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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Have been demonstrated to
produce valid inferences for a number of organizational outcomes
(e.g., performance, inventory shrinkage difficulties in
dealing with supervision).
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Can reduce business costs by
identifying individuals who are less likely to be absent, or engage in
other counterproductive behavior.
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Send the message to test
takers that integrity is an important corporate value.
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Are typically less likely to
differ in results by gender and race than other types of tests.
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Can be administered via paper
and pencil or computerized methods easily to large numbers.
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Can be cost effective to
administer.
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Does not require skilled
administrators.
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May lead to individuals
responding in a way to create a positive decision outcome rather than
how they really are (i.e., they may try to positively manage their
impression or even fake their response).
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May be disliked by test takers
if questions are intrusive or seen as unrelated to the job.
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5.
Interviews
Interviews
vary greatly in their content, but are often used to assess such things as
interpersonal skills, communication skills, and teamwork skills, and can be used
to assess job knowledge. Well-designed
interviews typically use a standard set of questions to evaluate knowledge,
skills, abilities, and other qualities required for the job.
The interview is the most commonly used type of test.
Employers generally conduct interviews either face-to-face or by phone. (For more information on this topic, see the article entitled, Effective
Employee Interviews).
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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Are expected and accepted by
many job applicants.
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Provide an opportunity for a
two-way exchange of information.
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Provide a measure of skills
such as oral communication skills not measured via paper and pencil or
computerized tools.
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Have been demonstrated to
produce valid inferences for a number of organizational outcomes, if
properly developed and administered (see article on Effective
Interviews).
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Can reduce business costs by
identifying individuals for hiring, promotion or training who possess
the needed skills and abilities.
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Are typically less likely to
differ in results by gender and race than other types of tests.
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May be affected by different
kinds of rating errors and biases by interviewers.
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Are often more time-consuming
to administer than paper and pencil or computerized tools.
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May be practically less useful
when a large number of individuals must be evaluated because of
administration time.
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Can be costly to train
interviewers.
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May be difficult to keep
interviewers calibrated and the interview process standardized.
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May lead to individuals
responding in a way to create a positive decision outcome rather than
how they really are (i.e., they may try to positively manage their
impression or even fake their response).
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6.
Job Knowledge Tests
Job knowledge tests typically use
multiple choice questions or essay type items to evaluate technical or
professional expertise and knowledge required for specific jobs or professions.
Examples of job knowledge tests include tests of basic accounting principles,
A+/Net+ programming, and blueprint reading.
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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Have been demonstrated to
produce valid inferences for a number of organizational outcomes, such
as job performance.
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Can reduce business costs by
identifying individuals for hiring, promotion or training who possess
the needed skills and abilities.
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Are typically less likely to
differ in results by gender and race than other types of tests.
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May be viewed positively by
test takers who see the close relationship between the test and the
job.
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Will not be influenced by test
taker attempts to impression manage or fake responses.
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Can provide useful feedback to
test takers regarding needed training and development.
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May require frequent updates
to ensure test is current with the job.
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May be inappropriate for jobs
where knowledge may be obtained via a short training period.
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Can be costly and
time-consuming to develop, unless purchased off-the-shelf.
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7.
Personality Tests
Some commonly measured personality traits in work
settings are extraversion, conscientiousness, openness to new experiences,
optimism, agreeableness, service orientation, stress tolerance, emotional
stability, and initiative or proactivity. Personality tests typically
measure traits related to behavior at work, interpersonal interactions, and
satisfaction with different aspects of work. Personality tests are often
used to assess whether individuals have the potential to be successful in jobs
where performance requires a great deal of interpersonal interaction or work in
team settings.
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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Have been demonstrated to
produce valid inferences for a number of organizational outcomes.
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Can reduce business costs by
identifying individuals for hiring, promotion or training who possess
the needed skills and abilities.
-
Are typically less likely to
differ in results by gender and race than other types of tests.
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Can be administered via paper
and pencil or computerized methods easily to large numbers.
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Can be cost effective to
administer.
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Does not require skilled
administrators.
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May contain questions that do
not appear job related or seem intrusive if not well developed.
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May lead to individuals
responding in a way to create a positive decision outcome rather than
how they really are (i.e., they may try to positively manage their
impression or even fake their response).
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May be problematic for use in
employee selection if the test is one used to diagnose medical
conditions (i.e., mental disorders) rather than simply to assess
work-related personality traits.
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8.
Physical Ability Tests
Physical ability tests typically use tasks or
exercises that require physical ability to perform. These tests typically
measure physical attributes and capabilities, such as strength, balance, and
speed.
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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Have been demonstrated to
produce valid inferences regarding performance of physically demanding
tasks.
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Can identify applicants who
are physically unable to perform essential job functions.
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Can reduce business costs by
identifying individuals for hiring, promotion or training who possess
the needed skills and abilities, by minimizing the risk of physical
injury to employees and others on the job, and by decreasing
disability/medical, insurance, and workers compensation costs.
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Will not be influenced by test
taker attempts to impression manage or fake responses.
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Are typically more likely to
differ in results by gender than other types of tests.
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May be problematic for use in
employee selection if the test is one used to diagnose medical
conditions (i.e., a physical disability) rather than simply to assess
ability to perform a particular job-related task.
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Can be expensive to purchase
equipment and administer.
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May be time consuming to
administer.
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May be inappropriate or
difficult to administer in typical employment offices.
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9.
Work Samples and Simulations
These
tests typically focus on measuring specific job skills or job knowledge, but can
also assess more general skills such as organizational skill, analytic skills,
and interpersonal skills. Work
samples and simulations typically require performance of tasks that are the same
or similar to those performed on the job to assess their level of skill or
competence. For example, work
samples might involve installing a telephone line, creating a document in Word,
or tuning an engine. (For more information on this
topic, see the article entitled, Work Samples and
Simulations).
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Advantages
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Disadvantages
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Have been demonstrated to
produce valid inferences regarding ability to perform the job.
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Can reduce business costs by
identifying individuals for hiring, promotion or training who possess
the needed skills and abilities.
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Are less likely to differ in
results by gender and race than other types of tests (depends on
particular skills being assessed).
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May be more accepted by test
takers due to the obvious link between the test and the job.
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Less likely to be influenced
by test taker attempts to impression manage or fake responses.
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Can be used to provide
specific developmental feedback.
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Can provide test takers with a
realistic preview of the job and the organization.
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Does not assess aptitude to
perform more complex tasks that may be encountered on the job.
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May not assess the ability to
learn new tasks quickly.
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Often not conducive to group
administration.
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May require some level of job
knowledge and therefore may be inappropriate for jobs where knowledge
may be obtained via a short training period.
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May be difficult to keep
updated.
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May be expensive to
administer.
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May be time consuming to
develop and to administer.
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Employment Testing Table
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