Insights on Psychometric Testing Reliability in Recruitment and Test Standardization

Hi,

Can anyone tell me about the reliability of psychometric testing? Because it is very subjective. In the process of recruitment, how is it evaluated?

Regards,
Vanita

Hi Vanita,

Psychometric assessment provides employers with an objective and unbiased measure of all the factors that underlie an individual's performance and fit for a role and organizational culture, which cannot be accurately assessed by other means. When used in conjunction with traditional recruitment methods such as resume screening, interviews, skill testing, and reference checks, psychometric assessment offers valuable information that can be particularly helpful in making the right hiring decisions.

Warm regards,
Sujeet Kumar
Strategist: HR, Training & Development
Oscar Murphy Life Strategists Pvt Ltd.
Bangalore - 560038
Cell No: 9342504365

Dear Vanita,

Namaskar.

Question of reliability does not come at the time of recruitment. It is a step in test standardization. Test standardization has the following components:
1. Item specification/collection,
2. Mode of test administration,
3. Item analysis and item selection,
4. Reliability estimation,
5. Validity estimation, and
6. Norm estimation.

These are technical pieces of information about any test that help a user decide whether or not to use the test.

Regards,
Jogeshwar

Hello Vanita:

Can anyone tell me the reliability of psychometric testing? Because it is very subjective. In the process of recruitment, when used, how is it evaluated?

The following coefficients are from the publication "Testing and Assessment: an Employer's Guide to Good Practices", Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Department of Labor, 1999:

Reliability coefficients
- 0.90 and above: excellent
- 0.80 - 0.89: good
- 0.70 - 0.79: adequate
- 0.69 or less: may have limited applicability

Validity coefficient value interpretation
- 0.35 and above: very beneficial
- 0.21 - 0.35: likely to be useful
- 0.11 - 0.20: depends on circumstances
- 0.10 or below: unlikely to be useful

Does this help?

Dear Robert,

Namaskar.

Nice to see the ranges of reliability and validity you posted. However, different levels of reliability have various implications, and different levels of validity also have different implications. Could you please specify the reliability and validity for which you have provided estimations?

Regards,
Jogeshwar

Hello Jogeshwar,

The quotes were from the report I mentioned. Could you be more specific?

Bob

Hey,

Psychometric tests are best used for development purposes. If you want to use them for recruitment, then it is better to use them in conjunction with interviews or other data, as mentioned by Sujeet.

Mamta Kapoor (Psychologist)
Email: Mamtakapoor2@gmail.com

Dear friends,

Namaskar.

Robert, thank you for your query. I am a bit busy now, but I will explain exactly what I mean to you soon.

Mamta, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am also a psychologist. You are correct that we have about 125 years of combined experience in testing. However, what I have observed is that some individuals are looking for a quick fix, which is not always feasible.

Regards,
Jogeshwar

Dear Robert,

Namaskar.

Reliability - Following are the names of reliabilities:
1. Test-retest reliability,
2. Alternative form reliability,
3. Split-half reliability,
4. Kuder-Richardson reliability,
5. Hoyte's reliability, and
6. Interscorer reliability.

Which reliability do you mean?

The following are the names of validities:
1. Content validity,
2. Criterion-related validity,
3. Construct validity,
4. Concurrent and predictive validity,
5. Convergent and discriminant validation,
6. Factorial validity, and
7. Cross-validation.

Of course, not every type of validity can provide values from -1 to +1. Could you please specify which validity you are referring to?

Regards,
Jogeshwar.

Dear Mamta and Jogeshwar,

I am a budding psychologist in the field of organizational behavior. Currently, I am working on a project related to psychometric testing and am specifically interested in details about MBTI, 16PF, and Firo-B (3 tests).

I have a few queries regarding the use of these tests in recruitment and selection processes:
1) Can these tests be utilized for recruitment and selection purposes?
2) At what levels, ranging from technical executives and middle management to senior management, are these tests applicable?
3) Where can organizations procure or purchase these tests?
4) What are the costs associated with using these tests?
5) Would it be more beneficial for organizations to engage a consultant for conducting the tests or to purchase the tests and interpret the results internally, provided trained professionals are available within the organization?

I would greatly appreciate your assistance in clarifying the above queries. Thank you for your support. I look up to you as my seniors in this field and am thrilled to have the support of experienced psychologists like yourselves.

Thank you very much.

With Regards,
Pragati

Hello Parag,

Since you are in the field, could you answer some of my crawling curiosities? How can one test a person's psychological state for a particular job to assess their suitability? What are the standard parameters on which a person is assessed, and how can these be improved if possible? Please provide us with some references.

Regards.

Hi Pragati,

Welcome to the Fraternity...

Regarding Psychometric Instruments, I will try to answer your questions...

1) Can these tests be used for recruitment and selection purposes?

Well, According to me, Psychometric Tests are best used for development purposes. However, if you want to use the same for recruitment or selection, then these instruments are best used as an additional tool to a battery of processes. Maybe, as a support for the interview, etc.

2) At what all levels ranging from technical executives and middle management to senior management?

All levels but interpreted accordingly for that level or future.

3) Where can these tests be procured/bought by an organization?

You can check with:

Manasayan, Agarwal Complex, 1st Floor
S-524, School Block, Shakarpur, DELHI-110092
Tel: 2248-3919; Fax 011-23271584, 2248-1584
E-mail: jmojha@del2.vsnl.net.in

4) What are the costs/damages involved in using these tests?

Different costs for different instruments depending on what you want and how much. Check with them...

5) Is it better to use a consultant to do testing for the organization or should organizations buy the test and then use and interpret themselves (if trained professionals are available in the organization)?

In this case, if you have a trained psychologist in the organization, then he/she can interpret in-house. But actually speaking, it works better most times if an external person interprets and gives feedback. I have seen that receptivity for the results increases.

Let me know if you need further clarification... Take Care, All the best...

Mamta

Psychometric testing plays an important role in the recruitment process. Nowadays, many companies are more inclined towards psychometric tests. In our defense services, psychometric tests play a significant role. Through psychometric tests, you can judge the personality of a person and evaluate how they would behave in particular situations created by the environment. Ultimately, psychometric testing will play a major role in the future.

Namaskar.

Psychometric testing plays an important role in the recruitment process. Nowadays, many companies are more inclined towards psychometric tests. In our defense services, psychometric tests play a significant role. Through psychometric tests, you can judge the personality of a person and evaluate how they might behave in particular situations created by the environment. Ultimately, psychometric testing will play a major role in the future.

Your information is absolutely correct. Could you please add some more details?

1. What traits/qualities are measured?
2. What are the names of the tests and the purposes for which they are used?
3. Are these tests standardized in India or abroad?
4. Any other technical information you can provide?

Regards

Hi all,

Please, please, please, can you forward me the psychometric test questionnaire used for recruitment and the questionnaire used for assessing employees' competency? Also, provide the process for evaluating the questionnaire. I am a management student working on a project about employees' attitudes, so I need to conduct some surveys. The tagline I have chosen is "hire for attitude, train for competence, coach for performance, manage to retain." If you can assist me with any other surveys and data, please do so. I have received many employee satisfaction surveys, but kindly email me the psychometric test for recruitment at sensuous_ria_17@yahoo.com.

Thanks,
Priu.

Every tool has its own keys to use and evaluate/interpret. Please go through the manual of the test that you are using.

Regards,
Parag Bhat
Aditya Birla Retail Ltd.

Hi, I agree with Mamta.

It's better to have these tests for developmental purposes as the effects and results for "Yes" or "No" have a lot of challenges due to the reliability of the test and the ability of the tester to correctly interpret.

Hence, instead of making decisions purely based on psychometric assessments, it's better to use them as a helpful tool to enhance an individual's performance.

Regards,
Parag