A test (for the purposes of our discussion) is a standardized device used to measure an individual’s skills, abilities, knowledge, competencies, intellectual capacity, personality characteristics and/or interests.

When compared to other selection methods such as the job interview, reference checks, experience and academic achievement, professionally developed and validated tests have been shown to be the best predictors of job performance. More specifically, ability tests have been found to be four times more effective than the typical job interview in predicting future job success.

Tests can serve many purposes within today’s highly competitive organizations. Those organizations that hire and retain the best individuals will have a marked advantage over the competition and that is why the use of pre-employment testing continues to increase. Talent Board's recent Candidate Experience Research reports that 82 percent of companies are using some form of pre-employment assessment. And this percentage continues to grow year to year.

The question should be, “How can companies afford not to use tests?” The use of tests in business has a great deal of advantages over using the traditional job interview alone or other commonly used selection procedures. When you use tests to evaluate applicants, you are comparing “apples to apples.” Tests ask the same questions of everyone. So you can compare each applicant on exactly the same skill sets, dispositions and behavioral characteristics. The use of tests affords the human resource professional the opportunity to ask a great deal of job-related questions in a relatively short amount of time making tests much more efficient than any other hiring method. Skills tests allow you to test for skills that cannot be measured during the interview. Appropriately developed tests do not ask biased or illegal questions. Tests allow the applicant’s answers to be compared to the responses of hundreds or even thousands of other test takers that have taken the test under the same standardized conditions. And maybe most importantly, professionally developed tests, like the PsyMetrics EPS, have been developed based on scientific research that shows they are, in fact, predictive of future job performance. There are no other selection methods that can make all of these claims. When combined with the job interview, work history, reference checks and other screening methods, tests can significantly increase your ability to identify applicants who will succeed and be top performers within your organization.

Effectively screening potential employees is an organization’s ethical responsibility. An effective pre-employment testing program can go a long way in ensuring a safe, productive and satisfying working environment. Testing is a cost effective, efficient and effective means of identifying conscientious, top performing employees who will contribute to the safety and productivity of your organization.

Selection
During the selection process, tests can help identify job applicants who have the competencies and dispositions that are required of the position being filled.

Pre-employment tests generally focus on four areas: cognitive abilities (e.g., problem solving, spatial reasoning, mathematical ability), job-related personality characteristics (e.g., service orientation, self-confidence, conscientiousness), interests (e.g., investigative, artistic, social interests) and skills (computer literacy, software application skills, typing). Assessing applicants on only one or two of these areas can lead to an incomplete picture of the applicant. By using tests that measure job-related attributes, employers can assess the applicant’s suitability for the job and can then select those who are most likely to result in the best fit for the job, work group and organization.

Retention
Tests are an important component of achieving the proper fit between the job applicant and the job. Matching the right employee to the right job leads to increased employee satisfaction, increased productivity and reduced employee turnover.

Team Building
Tests can be used in creating effective work groups or teams. Understanding personality types and skill levels of team members is essential for helping the team or work group operate effectively and efficiently. Matching the right individual with the appropriate team function is critical to helping the team achieve its maximum potential.

Training
Tests can also be used to determine the training needs of individuals, work groups, departments or the organization as a whole. Test results can indicate employee strengths and weaknesses, therefore identifying areas where training may be beneficial. Identifying training needs and providing targeted training in these areas can lead to significant increases in productivity and job satisfaction.

Tests can also be used to measure training effectiveness. Testing trainees on relevant competencies or characteristics before training serves to establish a pre-training baseline of skills, knowledge and/or behavioral traits. Testing them again, post training, will let you determine the degree to which they grasped the training content…and will assist you in determining if they are ready to apply what they learned.

Career Path
Tests can be used to assess an employee’s interests, skills and personality characteristics. This information can then be matched to specific jobs or job groups when outlining the employee’s career path.

When properly used, organizations that utilize job-related and professionally developed testing instruments benefit from a more satisfied, motivated and productive workforce.

The most important aspect of any assessment device is its ability to predict what it is intended to predict, i.e., its validity. As mentioned previously in this manual, the EPS scales were developed based on years of research using the latest techniques to increase efficiency, job-relatedness, applicant comfort level and validity. The test items were written based on extensive interviews with job incumbents, supervisors, managers, job observations, a review of training materials and a review of the psychological and skills testing literature. The original sets of test items were then validated using various validity methods (i.e., criterion-related, construct and self–report). Through extensive item analysis, the most valid and reliable test items were retained and used to create the EPS scales.

The following summarizes the concept of validity and the various validity methods utilized in validating the EPS scales.

Validity
A test’s level of effectiveness is directly related to its validity (the degree to which the test measures what it is supposed to measure) and its reliability (how consistent the test is at measuring what it is supposed to measure). The EPS scales have undergone significant research across various job categories utilizing several validation strategies. The results of all the research conclude that the tests within EPS are valid predictors of critical aspects of job performance. The three validation methods used to establish the validity of the EPS are summarized below.

Criterion-Related Validation
The concurrent, criterion-related validation method requires that the test be administered to current employees. Performance data is then gathered on those employees. If the test were a valid predictor of job performance, one would expect a statistically significant correlation between test scores and the performance data collected. In other words, those employees who score high on the test are the same employees who demonstrate high levels of performance. Those employees who do poorly on the test would likely be those who demonstrate poor performance.

The correlations obtained throughout all of the criterion-related validity studies conducted using the EPS tests indicate that the tests are valid predictors of job performance.

Construct Validation
In addition to the concurrent validation strategy described above, construct validation studies have been performed for many of the EPS scales. This validation strategy attempts to demonstrate the degree to which the instrument in question actually measures the psychological construct it is intended to measure. This approach generally involves administering the test in question along with another well-researched and established instrument that measures the same construct. If the two instruments measure the same construct, one would expect to find a significant correlation between the two. From the construct validation studies conducted using the EPS scales, we can conclude that the EPS scales measure the construct they were designed to measure and therefore are construct valid.

Self-Report
An additional strategy utilized to establish the validity of the EPS scales was to compare test scores to anonymous self-reports. Some tests measure behaviors that are not always observable yet could have a serious negative impact to your organization; for example stealing or illegal drug use. The anonymous self-report validation strategy makes it possible to collect past behavior information (e.g., stealing history, illegal drug use frequency) in a non-threatening manner. Test scores are then compared to the self-report ratings to determine the tests ability to identify those counterproductive behaviors. The results of the validation studies using the self-report data collection method offer strong support for the validity of the EPS scales intended to predict counterproductive workplace behaviors.