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ADOA Human Resources has written tests which are for selecting quality employees. Written tests are considered effective and legally defensible when they meet the following conditions:
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Reliability: The test measures what it claims to measure consistently or reliably. This means that if a person were to take the test again, the person would get a similar test score.
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Standardized: The test measures what it claims to measure. For example, a test of accounting ability does in fact measure accounting ability, and not some other ability.
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Validity: The test is job-relevant. In other words, the test measures one or more characteristics that are important to the job.
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Utility: By using the test, more effective employment decisions can be made about individuals. For example, an arithmetic test may help you to select qualified workers for a job that requires knowledge of arithmetic operations.
Written tests should be used in the following situations:
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Current selection or placement procedures result in poor hiring decisions.
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Employee productivity
is low.
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Employee errors have
serious financial, health, or safety consequences.
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There is high
employee turnover or absenteeism.
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Present selection
procedures do not meet current legal and professional standards.
ADOA Human Resources provides three types of professionally developed, legally defensible and approved written tests: entry level, promotional and competency. These written tests identify qualified workers and improve organizational performance.
Entry level tests are used to identify and hire the most qualified applicants fairly and efficiently. These tests are most commonly used by employers recruiting for specific jobs where particular abilities are required or the cost of training requires effective and efficient selection. The abilities measured by these tests are fundamental to the success in different types of jobs, especially where tasks such as reading, following directions, computing, analyzing, and/or communicating are performed. These tests include:
Vocabulary
– Identifies the candidate’s ability to correctly identify words
commonly found in business communications. Vocabulary topics include:
General, Human Resources, Production, Legal, and Accounting.
Classifying and
Coding
– Measures the candidate’s ability to classify and code items by
categories.
Filing Names
– Measures a candidate’s ability to sort names in alphabetical order.
Filing Numbers
– Measures a candidate’s ability to sort items in numerical order.
Following
Instructions
– Measures a candidate’s ability to follow detailed instructions and
then select the correct course of action. Topics include Filing,
Following Rules, Understanding Driving Directions, Understanding Tables
and Legends, and Following Guidelines.
Math Basics
– Measures the candidate’s ability to quickly perform basic mathematical
computations including addition, subtraction, multiplication, division,
percentages and conversions.
Math Problem Solving
– Measures the candidate’s ability to use basic mathematic computations
to solve real-world problems. Topics include Basic Computations,
Percentages, Proportions and Fractions.
Proofreading
– Measures the candidate’s ability to read for and correct errors
involving spelling, punctuation, grammar and word choice.
Reviewing Forms
– Measures the candidate’s ability to detect errors in forms by
comparing text in a form to text in a paragraph. Forms include Human
Resources Form, Order Form, Personnel Data Form, Registration Receipt
Form, Payment Form, Timesheet Form and Report Form.
Verbal Reasoning
– Measures the candidate’s ability to combine separate pieces of
information and determine true statements based on that information.
Visual Comparison
– Measures the candidate’s ability to efficiently compare information
and detect errors by selecting the pair that is not identical.
These tests will provide a way to select successful
clerical and accounting workers, concerned customer service
representatives, and effective workers in many other jobs. For example,
DES. AHCCCS and DJC use approved entry level written tests.
Promotional tests are used to identify employees who
possess supervisory potential or higher level capabilities, so that
these employees can be promoted to assume greater duties and
responsibilities.
Competency
tests are used to find out whether employees have mastered the
procedural or technical aspects of the job. These tests can help
identify those employees who might benefit from either remedial or
advanced training. Information gained from this testing can be used to
design or modify training programs. The test results also help
individuals identify areas in which self-development activities would be
useful.
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