Psychological testing has become rampant in every industry, even more so in
the case of Information Technology companies, BPOs and ITES. Thesis
The tests are used to “puke up” personality profiles and competition.
descriptions that would help companies hire the “right” candidate.
The Human Resources department in most organizations is responsible for
the administration of psychometric tests.
The international body that sets guidelines for testing is the
International Test Commission (ITC), which sets guidelines for
Adaptation and use of tests. ITC has published guidelines to cover the
Following-
Professional and ethical standards in testing
Rights of the test candidate and other parties involved in the test
process
Choice and evaluation of alternative tests
Test administration, scoring and interpretation.
Writing reports and comments.
The ITC has defined competency in test use as “A competent test user”.
will use the tests appropriately, professionally and ethically,
paying due attention to the needs and rights of the people involved in the
testing process, the reasons for testing, and the broader context in
that the test is carried out”.
There are many reasons why a test can be fallible:
1. Improper use of Tests
The standards to which the tests have been designed must be taken into account
carefully. They cannot be administered to a population that is
different from the normal population (the Normal Population, for example, might
be, teenagers, Senior Executives; rules can be based on age,
occupation, sex, economic situation, etc. ). That is, a test designed
for adolescents cannot be administered in Senior Executives and vice
vice versa because the results of such administration would be flawed.
2. Just culture tests
Another common flaw is the use of tests that are not fair to the culture.
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 in the Indian population resulting in defects
conclusions.
3. Test Design
The psychological test can only be designed by qualified professionals
in psychometry. Many times, laymen design tests with the help of
information that is accessed via the Internet or sometimes even from your
own common sense. Such tests are invalid.
4. Test validation
Every test that has been designed has to be validated. The process of
validation would involve administering the test in a large population
for a period of time before it is certified as ‘ready to use’. East
it cannot be made from tests that are made overnight.
5. Tests downloaded
Tests are often downloaded from the Internet and used for
different from those that have been designed. for example, a
personality test used to test Emotional Intelligence or Team
skills of a person.
6. Incorrect customization
Sometimes elements of a test are changed to suit the user. Such
instances the test cannot give valid results. For example, an element (a
question/statement in the test) would say:
“Do you usually date on the weekends?” , could be changed to
“Do you socialize on the weekends?”
to suit the Indian scenario. The test results with such changes
‘items’ will not be valid.
7. Test administration
The administration of the test must be systematically standardized, that is, the
The test must be administered under exactly the same conditions to all
users. This means that the actual test environment, instructions,
the time and materials are the same on each testing occasion.
Before administering the test, the user should consider the following
guidelines –
o What is the purpose of testing?
o What results will be achieved through testing?
o Why are these specific tests used?
o Why are these tests relevant to the results sought?
o What evidence is there that these tests are appropriate for people
Who will be evaluated?
8. Confidentiality of test results
All test results must be kept 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 for certain “groups” within the organization. In the USA,
The use of IQ tests in the selection of employees has been prohibited. This was
due to lack of confidentiality maintained by administrators
resulting in employees being unfairly discriminated against. Currently
any psychometric test must be administered with great care and after
necessary permissions are obtained.
To ensure confidentiality, the following guidelines must be followed
I consider:
1. Make sure test materials are kept securely
2. Ensure secure storage and control access to test materials.
3. Respect copyright law and the agreements that exist with respect to a
evidence, including prohibitions against copying or transmitting
materials in electronic or other form to others, whether
qualified or not.
4. Protect the integrity of the test by not training people on
actual test materials or other practice materials that could unfairly
influences their performance on the test.
5. Make sure testing techniques are not publicly described in such a way
that its usefulness is diminished.
9. Competence of test administrator and interpreter
The personnel administering the tests must be strict in following the
instructions stipulated by the test designers. The interpretations also
they have to be carried out by qualified personnel who are psychologists.
10. Limitation of evidence
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 results of the tests are complemented by the information from the interviews
and group discussions. Also, the test results are invalid after
eighteen months of his administration.
11. Copyright verification
It is a crime to copy evidence that is copyrighted. they can only
be used after obtaining the necessary permission from the designers.
Otherwise, this illegal copying can lead to lack of standardization in
Test conditions and poor control of materials.
12. Feedback test
Many times Users do not follow the guidelines for feedback.
The British Psychological Society has established the following guidelines
for written and oral comments:
o Ensure that the technical and linguistic levels of any report are
appropriate to the level of understanding of the recipients.
o Make it clear that test data represents only one source of information
and should always be considered in conjunction with other information.
o Explain how the importance of test results should be weighted in
relation to other information about the people being evaluated.
o Use a form and structure for a report that is appropriate for the
evaluation context.
o When appropriate, provide third parties with information on how
the results can be used to inform your decisions.
o Explain and support the use of test results to classify people.
into categories (for example, for diagnostic purposes or for job selection).
o Include in written reports a clear summary and, where appropriate,
specific recommendations.
o Present oral feedback to examinees in a constructive and supportive manner.
way.