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Will You Add? - The Fallibility of Psychological Testing
Unless you're running a stolen car warehouse or are the chief priest of a notorious cult society or are involved in illegitimate business, you need an outdoor sign for your business. You must understand that businesses now days exist in a highly competitive environment and in such an environment, you need your business to communicate - at least its existence - to the public at large, in a cost-effective manner.And the most cost-effective and efficient way of communicating about the existence of your business and about its line is to hook up an outdoor sign just outside your premises. This outdoor sign then creates a link to your existing as well as potential customers. It says to them: "Hey, look at me and c'mon in, buddy!" - An outdoor sign tickles a potential customer's impulses and if he likes what he sees, you can register an impulse sale and watch as your cash register starts jingling all the way.Functions of
5. Ensure that test techniques are not described publicly in such a way that their usefulness is impaired.
9. Competence of Test Administrator and Interpreter
The personnel administering the tests have to be strict in following the instructions stipulated by the test designers. The interpretations too have to be done by qualified personnel who are psychologists.
10. Limitation of tests
The tests are ‘limited’ for the purposes for which they have been designed. For a holistic assessment of an individual, it is required that the test results are supplemented by information from interviews and group discussions. In addition the test results are not valid after eighteen months of its administration.
11. Test Copyrights
It is an offence to copy tests that have been copyrighted. They can only be used after the necessary permission is obtained from the designers. Otherwise this illegal copying may lead to lack of standardization in Test conditions and poor control of materials.
12. Test feedback
Often times the guidelines for feedback are not followed by the Users. The British Psychological Society has set out the following guidelines for written and oral feedback:
• Ensure that the technical and linguistic levels of any re
Whenever a company becomes dominant in its sector, many of its competitors cry foul. In a free economy that company has more than likely reached this position because it has simply outperformed its rivals. Good luck, I say. Although it goes against the grain, I recognise that there would come a point - a point, that is, when dominance turns to monopoly - when the authorities may need to clip the wings of such a successful company. However, this must surely be a last resort. I am convinced that European countries have got this wrong.The bar is too low. The alarms bells ring far too early. There is too much state interference in the running of market sectors when such interference can often lead to long term imbalances and a tendency to stifle innovation.I don't think we should be resentful, or feel threatened when a company becomes large. When this happens it always throws out new opportunities. For instance, a big com
The International body that sets guidelines for testing is the International Test Commission ( ITC ) which stipulates guidelines for adaptation and usage of tests. ITC has issued guidelines to cover the following –
Professional and ethical standards in testing
Rights of the test candidate and other parties involved in the testing process
Choice and evaluation of alternative tests
Test administration, scoring and interpretation
Report writing and feedback.
ITC has defined competence in test usage as, “ A Competent test user will use tests appropriately, professionally and in an ethical manner, paying due regard to the needs and rights of those involved in the testing process, the reasons for testing, and the broader context in which the testing takes place.”
There are many reasons why a test can be fallible –
1. Inappropriate usage of Tests
The norms for which the tests have been designed have to be considered carefully. They cannot be administered to a population that is different from the norm population ( Norm Population for example could be, adolescents, Senior Executives; norms could be based on age, occupation, gender, economic status etc. ). That is, a test designed for adolescents cannot be administered on Senior Executives and vice versa because the results of such administration would be faulty.
2. Culture Fair Testing
Another common flaw is in the usage of tests which are not culture fair. Many psychological tests have been designed for the western population and can be used appropriately only in that culture. Unfortunately many of these tests are used on the Indian population giving rise to faulty conclusions.
3. Design of Test
The psychological test can only be designed by professionals qualified in psychometrics. Many a time lay people design tests using the help of information accessed through the internet or sometimes even from their own common sense. Such tests are not valid.
4. Validation of tests
Every test that has been designed has to be validated. The process of validation would involve administering the test on a large population over a period of time before it is certified as ‘ready for use’. This cannot be done from tests that are fabricated overnight.
5. Downloaded Tests
Often tests are downloaded from the Internet and are used for purposes other than for which they have been designed. For example, a personality test being used to test the Emotional Intelligence or Team Skills of a person.
6. Wrong Customization
Sometimes the items of a test are changed to suit the user. In such instances the test cannot give valid results. For example an item ( a question / statement in the test ) would state – “ Do you usually date on weekends ?” , could be changed to “ Do you socialize on weekends? ” to fit the Indian scenario. The results of the test with such changed ‘items’will not be not valid.
7. Test Administration
The test administration should be systematically standardized, i.e., the test should be administered under exactly the same conditions to all users. This means that the actual test environment, the instructions, the timing and the materials are the same on every test occasion. Before administering the test the user must consider the following guidelines –
• What is the purpose of testing?
• What outcomes will be achieved through testing?
• Why are these specific tests being used?
• Why are these tests relevant to the outcomes being sought?
• What evidence is there that these tests are appropriate for the people who are to be assessed?
8. Confidentiality of Test Results
All results of tests must be maintained by the administrator in strict confidence. Revealing the results could lead to unfair discrimination in the workplace. This happens when a test used for selection is disadvantageous to certain ‘groups’ within the organization. In the US, the use of IQ tests in employee selection has been prohibited. This was due to the lack of confidentiality maintained by the administrators which resulted in employees being unfairly discriminated. At present any psychometric test has to be administered with utmost care and after the requisite permissions is obtained.
To ensure confidentiality, the following guidelines should be considered:
1. Ensure that test materials are kept securely
2. Ensure secure storage of and control access to test materials.
3. Respect copyright law and agreements that exist with respect to a test including any prohibitions on the copying or transmission of materials in electronic or other forms to other people, whether qualified or otherwise.
4. Protect the integrity of the test by not coaching individuals on actual test materials or other practice materials that might unfairly influence their test performance.
5. Ensure that test techniques are not described publicly in such a way that their usefulness is impaired.
9. Competence of Test Administrator and Interpreter
The personnel administering the tests have to be strict in following the instructions stipulated by the test designers. The interpretations too have to be done by qualified personnel who are psychologists.
10. Limitation of tests
The tests are ‘limited’ for the purposes for which they have been designed. For a holistic assessment of an individual, it is required that the test results are supplemented by information from interviews and group discussions. In addition the test results are not valid after eighteen months of its administration.
11. Test Copyrights
It is an offence to copy tests that have been copyrighted. They can only be used after the necessary permission is obtained from the designers. Otherwise this illegal copying may lead to lack of standardization in Test conditions and poor control of materials.
12. Test feedback
Often times the guidelines for feedback are not followed by the Users. The British Psychological Society has set out the following guidelines for written and oral feedback:
• Ensure that the technical and linguistic levels of any rep
Here are tips on how to tackle 7 basic questions which can be tough if you don't know how to answer them.* 1. Tell us about yourself Here just tell basic information such as if you have been working for a number of years, if you are a student, or if you have graduated college. Don't get into to too much detail about your personal life or other personal things such as religion or political beliefs.* 2. Why do you want to work for us? This is where you need to investigate the company BEFORE the interview. Find out what they take pride in. Find out their core values of their company as well as what they do, who their main customers are, and even who their competitors are. Try to get to know other employees and find out why they like the job, if you can. Do not give self serving reasons, such as "I need the money" or "I want to further my career", and do not give a short canned answer as well.* 3. Why did you l
2. Culture Fair Testing
Another common flaw is in the usage of tests which are not culture fair. Many psychological tests have been designed for the western population and can be used appropriately only in that culture. Unfortunately many of these tests are used on the Indian population giving rise to faulty conclusions.
3. Design of Test
The psychological test can only be designed by professionals qualified in psychometrics. Many a time lay people design tests using the help of information accessed through the internet or sometimes even from their own common sense. Such tests are not valid.
4. Validation of tests
Every test that has been designed has to be validated. The process of validation would involve administering the test on a large population over a period of time before it is certified as ‘ready for use’. This cannot be done from tests that are fabricated overnight.
5. Downloaded Tests
Often tests are downloaded from the Internet and are used for purposes other than for which they have been designed. For example, a personality test being used to test the Emotional Intelligence or Team Skills of a person.
6. Wrong Customization
Sometimes the items of a test are changed to suit the user. In such instances the test cannot give valid results. For example an item ( a question / statement in the test ) would state – “ Do you usually date on weekends ?” , could be changed to “ Do you socialize on weekends? ” to fit the Indian scenario. The results of the test with such changed ‘items’will not be not valid.
7. Test Administration
The test administration should be systematically standardized, i.e., the test should be administered under exactly the same conditions to all users. This means that the actual test environment, the instructions, the timing and the materials are the same on every test occasion. Before administering the test the user must consider the following guidelines –
• What is the purpose of testing?
• What outcomes will be achieved through testing?
• Why are these specific tests being used?
• Why are these tests relevant to the outcomes being sought?
• What evidence is there that these tests are appropriate for the people who are to be assessed?
8. Confidentiality of Test Results
All results of tests must be maintained by the administrator in strict confidence. Revealing the results could lead to unfair discrimination in the workplace. This happens when a test used for selection is disadvantageous to certain ‘groups’ within the organization. In the US, the use of IQ tests in employee selection has been prohibited. This was due to the lack of confidentiality maintained by the administrators which resulted in employees being unfairly discriminated. At present any psychometric test has to be administered with utmost care and after the requisite permissions is obtained.
To ensure confidentiality, the following guidelines should be considered:
1. Ensure that test materials are kept securely
2. Ensure secure storage of and control access to test materials.
3. Respect copyright law and agreements that exist with respect to a test including any prohibitions on the copying or transmission of materials in electronic or other forms to other people, whether qualified or otherwise.
4. Protect the integrity of the test by not coaching individuals on actual test materials or other practice materials that might unfairly influence their test performance.
5. Ensure that test techniques are not described publicly in such a way that their usefulness is impaired.
9. Competence of Test Administrator and Interpreter
The personnel administering the tests have to be strict in following the instructions stipulated by the test designers. The interpretations too have to be done by qualified personnel who are psychologists.
10. Limitation of tests
The tests are ‘limited’ for the purposes for which they have been designed. For a holistic assessment of an individual, it is required that the test results are supplemented by information from interviews and group discussions. In addition the test results are not valid after eighteen months of its administration.
11. Test Copyrights
It is an offence to copy tests that have been copyrighted. They can only be used after the necessary permission is obtained from the designers. Otherwise this illegal copying may lead to lack of standardization in Test conditions and poor control of materials.
12. Test feedback
Often times the guidelines for feedback are not followed by the Users. The British Psychological Society has set out the following guidelines for written and oral feedback:
• Ensure that the technical and linguistic levels of any re
Metal stamping machines are used to give the exact shape and parameters to the metal products. When a metal sheet is inserted into the metal stamping machine, it can be molded into the exact shape. The kind of shape that has to be given to the product should be pre-determined before putting the metal in the stamping machines. The customer provides a sample or a diagram of the product that has to be created. Sometimes, the customer may not even know what the final product will look like. He will come with a vague idea of what purpose the product would serve. Most metal stamping producers have designing capabilities to assist the customer with what the actual design and requirements of the product should be.Metal stamping machines are of many kinds. They can range between the simplest manual presses to highly computerized progressive die processors that involve complicated parts. Depending on the kind of machine, the features of the
5. Downloaded Tests
Often tests are downloaded from the Internet and are used for purposes other than for which they have been designed. For example, a personality test being used to test the Emotional Intelligence or Team Skills of a person.
6. Wrong Customization
Sometimes the items of a test are changed to suit the user. In such instances the test cannot give valid results. For example an item ( a question / statement in the test ) would state – “ Do you usually date on weekends ?” , could be changed to “ Do you socialize on weekends? ” to fit the Indian scenario. The results of the test with such changed ‘items’will not be not valid.
7. Test Administration
The test administration should be systematically standardized, i.e., the test should be administered under exactly the same conditions to all users. This means that the actual test environment, the instructions, the timing and the materials are the same on every test occasion. Before administering the test the user must consider the following guidelines –
• What is the purpose of testing?
• What outcomes will be achieved through testing?
• Why are these specific tests being used?
• Why are these tests relevant to the outcomes being sought?
• What evidence is there that these tests are appropriate for the people who are to be assessed?
8. Confidentiality of Test Results
All results of tests must be maintained by the administrator in strict confidence. Revealing the results could lead to unfair discrimination in the workplace. This happens when a test used for selection is disadvantageous to certain ‘groups’ within the organization. In the US, the use of IQ tests in employee selection has been prohibited. This was due to the lack of confidentiality maintained by the administrators which resulted in employees being unfairly discriminated. At present any psychometric test has to be administered with utmost care and after the requisite permissions is obtained.
To ensure confidentiality, the following guidelines should be considered:
1. Ensure that test materials are kept securely
2. Ensure secure storage of and control access to test materials.
3. Respect copyright law and agreements that exist with respect to a test including any prohibitions on the copying or transmission of materials in electronic or other forms to other people, whether qualified or otherwise.
4. Protect the integrity of the test by not coaching individuals on actual test materials or other practice materials that might unfairly influence their test performance.
5. Ensure that test techniques are not described publicly in such a way that their usefulness is impaired.
9. Competence of Test Administrator and Interpreter
The personnel administering the tests have to be strict in following the instructions stipulated by the test designers. The interpretations too have to be done by qualified personnel who are psychologists.
10. Limitation of tests
The tests are ‘limited’ for the purposes for which they have been designed. For a holistic assessment of an individual, it is required that the test results are supplemented by information from interviews and group discussions. In addition the test results are not valid after eighteen months of its administration.
11. Test Copyrights
It is an offence to copy tests that have been copyrighted. They can only be used after the necessary permission is obtained from the designers. Otherwise this illegal copying may lead to lack of standardization in Test conditions and poor control of materials.
12. Test feedback
Often times the guidelines for feedback are not followed by the Users. The British Psychological Society has set out the following guidelines for written and oral feedback:
• Ensure that the technical and linguistic levels of any re
Okay so you are called into the boss’s office. You are fired. No reason. No antagonism. You are stunned and are suddenly out of a job. What do you do now? The fact is that you are not alone. In today’s competitive business economy, major corporations and small businesses alike are announcing layoffs and individual dismissals in record numbers across Australia. This is a terrible blow, especially for men and women who have families to support. This situation also results in many displaced workers who have nowhere to go.Many people say you should look at this unfortunate event as an excellent opportunity in disguise, a chance to stop, catch your breath, and figure out what you are doing with your life. In reality, few people who find themselves suddenly out of work have the financial resources to turn their unexpected time off into a contemplative exercise in self-exploration. Normally, the most important mission of the recently une
• What evidence is there that these tests are appropriate for the people who are to be assessed?
8. Confidentiality of Test Results
All results of tests must be maintained by the administrator in strict confidence. Revealing the results could lead to unfair discrimination in the workplace. This happens when a test used for selection is disadvantageous to certain ‘groups’ within the organization. In the US, the use of IQ tests in employee selection has been prohibited. This was due to the lack of confidentiality maintained by the administrators which resulted in employees being unfairly discriminated. At present any psychometric test has to be administered with utmost care and after the requisite permissions is obtained.
To ensure confidentiality, the following guidelines should be considered:
1. Ensure that test materials are kept securely
2. Ensure secure storage of and control access to test materials.
3. Respect copyright law and agreements that exist with respect to a test including any prohibitions on the copying or transmission of materials in electronic or other forms to other people, whether qualified or otherwise.
4. Protect the integrity of the test by not coaching individuals on actual test materials or other practice materials that might unfairly influence their test performance.
5. Ensure that test techniques are not described publicly in such a way that their usefulness is impaired.
9. Competence of Test Administrator and Interpreter
The personnel administering the tests have to be strict in following the instructions stipulated by the test designers. The interpretations too have to be done by qualified personnel who are psychologists.
10. Limitation of tests
The tests are ‘limited’ for the purposes for which they have been designed. For a holistic assessment of an individual, it is required that the test results are supplemented by information from interviews and group discussions. In addition the test results are not valid after eighteen months of its administration.
11. Test Copyrights
It is an offence to copy tests that have been copyrighted. They can only be used after the necessary permission is obtained from the designers. Otherwise this illegal copying may lead to lack of standardization in Test conditions and poor control of materials.
12. Test feedback
Often times the guidelines for feedback are not followed by the Users. The British Psychological Society has set out the following guidelines for written and oral feedback:
• Ensure that the technical and linguistic levels of any re
Running a business gets so demanding, that we often can't see the wood for the trees. We become preoccupied with ensuring that everything in the business works the way it is supposed to. In other words, we spend most of our time working in the business.The problem with this operational focus is that it is easy to lose sight of what could be done in the business to make it run better. The business will only prosper in the long term if you devote a lot of attention to improving how the business works and increasing its capacity.Spending a lot of time working on the business, makes it grow in the long term. Business growth is sustainable and things just keep on getting better. If necessary, get other people to work in the business. Working on the business should be your top priority.Failure to work on the business causes it to become trapped. It is almost like the business gets stuck in a box. The business
5. Ensure that test techniques are not described publicly in such a way that their usefulness is impaired.
9. Competence of Test Administrator and Interpreter
The personnel administering the tests have to be strict in following the instructions stipulated by the test designers. The interpretations too have to be done by qualified personnel who are psychologists.
10. Limitation of tests
The tests are ‘limited’ for the purposes for which they have been designed. For a holistic assessment of an individual, it is required that the test results are supplemented by information from interviews and group discussions. In addition the test results are not valid after eighteen months of its administration.
11. Test Copyrights
It is an offence to copy tests that have been copyrighted. They can only be used after the necessary permission is obtained from the designers. Otherwise this illegal copying may lead to lack of standardization in Test conditions and poor control of materials.
12. Test feedback
Often times the guidelines for feedback are not followed by the Users. The British Psychological Society has set out the following guidelines for written and oral feedback:
• Ensure that the technical and linguistic levels of any reports are appropriate for the level of understanding of the recipients.
• Make clear that the test data represent just one source of information and should always be considered in conjunction with other information.
• Explain how the importance of the test results should be weighted in relation to other information about the people being assessed.
• Use a form and structure for a report that is appropriate to the context of the assessment.
• When appropriate, provide third parties with information on how results may be used to inform their decisions.
• Explain and support the use of test results used to classify people into categories (e.g. for diagnostic purposes or for job selection).
• Include within written reports a clear summary, and when relevant, specific recommendations.
• Present oral feedback to test takers in a constructive and supportive manner.
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