Basic testing concept

A test is basically a sample of persons behavior. Using a test assumes the tool is reliable and
valid.

Reliability
The degree of consistency between two measures of the same thing.
The measure of how stable, dependable, trustworthy, and consistent a test is in measuring the same thing each time.

Example:
If we wanted to measure the length of a piece of wood, the tape used better yield the same
measure each time. Even if you had someone else re-measure the wood, the result should be
consistent.
Assume that you gave a student a history test yesterday and then gave the test again today. You
found that the student scored very high the first day and very low the second day. It could have
been that the student had an off day or that the test is simply unreliable.

Validity:
Truthfulness: Does the test measure what it purports to measure? the extent to which certain inferences can be
made from test scores or other measurement.
The degree to which they accomplish the purpose for which they are being used.

For a test to be valid, or truthful, it must first be reliable. A scale may record weights as two
pounds too heavy each time. In other words, reliability is a necessary but insufficient condition
for validity.
Example:
Typing test-clearly corresponds to an on the job behavior. This is a valid test.

Test validity:
There are two main ways to demonstrate a tests validity: criterion validity and content validity.
Criterion validity:

It means demonstrating that those who do well on the test also do well on the job, and those do
poorly on the test do poorly on the job. It assesses whether a test reflects a certain set of
abilities.

An Example of Criterion Validity in Action

For market researchers, criterion validity is crucial, and can make or break a product. One
famous example is when Coca-Cola decided to change the flavor of their trademark drink.
Diligently, they researched whether people liked the new flavor, performing taste tests and giving
out questionnaire. People loved the new flavor, so Coca-Cola rushed New Coke into production,
where it was a titanic flop.
The mistake that Coke made was that they forgot about criterion validity, and omitted one
important question from the survey.(Bangladesh prespective)

Content Validity:
Content validity, sometimes called logical or rational validity, is the estimate of how much a
measure represents every single element of a construct. The basic issue in content validation is
representativeness.
An example of low content validity
A school wants to hire a new science teacher, and a panel of governors begins to look through the
various candidates. They draw up a shortlist and then set a test, picking the candidate with the
best score. Sadly, he proves to be an extremely poor science teacher.
After looking at the test, the education board begins to see where they went wrong. The vast
majority of the questions were about physics so, of course, the school found the most talented
physics teacher.
However, this particular job expected the science teacher to teach biology, chemistry and
psychology. The content validity of test was poor and did not fully represent the construct of
'being a good science teacher.'

Evidence based HR: How to validate a test

The validation process consists of five steps:
Step 1: Analysis the job:- The first step is to analysis the job and write job description and job
specification. It also means success on the job and the success are criteria.
For example assembler job predictors might include manual dexterity and patience.
Step 2: Choose the test:-After knowing the predictors, the next step is to decide how to test for
them.

For example Wonderlic , Inc, publishes , publishes a well known intellectual capacity test, and
also other tests, including technical skills tests, aptitude test batteries, interest inventories, and
reliability inventories.

Step 3: Administer the test:-Do the selected test. Here is two options.
Concurrent validation: The concurrent validity examines the correlation between a previous
measurement that have been validated and the new measuring techni
Projective validation: Administer the test to the applicant before hiring them.
Example: An organization compare personality test result of employees after they have been on
the job for some time and compare it to their earlier test score.

Relate test score and criteria:

The next step is to ascertain if there is a significant relationship between test score and
performance. For this a expectancy chart can be used. It show the relationship between score and
performance.
Example: Three groups according to test score-the group that will score high will be the high
performed in the job.

Step 5: Cross Validate and Revalidate

Performing step 3 and 4 on a new sample of employees.

Tests of Cognitive Abilities:

Cognitive tests include test of general reasoning ability (intelligence) and tests of specific mental
abilities like memory and inductive reasoning.

Intelligence tests:
Intelligence tests are tests of general intellectual abilities. They measure not a single trait but
rather a range of abilities, including memory, vocabulary, verbal fluency and numerical ability.
Example:

Tests of motor and physical abilities

Motor and physical abilities mean finger dexterity, manual dexterity and (if hiring pilots)
reaction time.
Example:
The Crawford small parts dexterity test is an example.

Measuring personality and interests:

Personality tests measure basic aspects of an applicants personality, such as introversion,
stability and motivation.
Example:
Online dating service as like e-Harmony.com

Achievement tests:
Achievement tests measure what someone has learned.
Example
Typing tests