MGMT 4300 | SPRING 2020

CH 11: Ability Tests for Selection

❖ Chapter 11 Learning Objectives:

➢ 1. Be familiar with the history of ability tests in selection.
➢ 2. Understand the nature of cognitive ability tests and physical ability tests.
➢ 3. Identify possible legal issues with ability tests.
➢ Generally speaking, ability tests measure knowledge. You may hear others refer
to them as “APTITUDE” or “ACHIEVEMENT” tests.
■ The most common ability tests include cognitive (mental/intellectual
ability), mechanical, clerical and physical ability tests
● We are going to focus mainly on cognitive/intellectual ability and
physical ability tests for the Exam
■ We will also examine the possible legal issues with ability tests.

❖ History of Ability Tests in Selection:

➢ What is generally thought to be the first work on mental ability or intelligence
tests was done by French Psychologists.
■ Back in 1908, tests were developed for the selection of streetcar
operators in Paris.
● The tests measured reaction time, ability to estimate speed and
distance, and ability to choose correct driving behavior.

➢ The first World War was a MAJOR stimulus in the development of other tests
used in selection.
■ The immediate objective was to quickly develop tests that could be given
to groups of recruits and that would provide scores to be used as a basis
for rejecting recruits thought to be unfit for military service.

➢ Next 2 decades, tests for mechanical, motor, clerical, spatial, and more

➢ Then World War II provided another major boost to test development.

■ The emphasis here was to place recruits in the most appropriate jobs.

➢ The use of some ability tests halted in the 1960s and 70s because of decisions
from the Supreme Court regarding the discriminatory effects of the use of tests
in selection.

➢ However, we are seeing more organizations use ability tests today – when used
appropriately, they are valid, can be nondiscriminatory, and can cut costs in
employment decision making!
❖ Sample Cognitive Ability Tests:
➢ Cognitive Ability Tests - measure a variety of mental abilities, such as verbal and
mathematical ability, reasoning ability, and reading comprehension
■ Also sometimes referred to as intelligence or IQ Tests.
■ Cognitive ability similar to academic performance
■ EXTREMELY useful predictors of job performance and thus, are used
frequently in making selection decisions for many different types of jobs.
➢ EXAMPLES:
■ VERBAL ABILITY: Innocuous means the same as:
● A) Harmless, B) Preventative, C) Distasteful, or D) Futile

■ NUMERICAL ABILITY: 10% of 62.5 is:

● A) .625, B) 6.25, C.) .0625, or D) 6.50

■ REASONING ABILITY: 1 3 2 4 3 5 4 6 5 _____

● A) 4, B) 5, C) 6, or D) 7

■ READING ABILITY: In American politics, the concern of each party is to

win. This requires gaining the support of many people with differing
views. Political parties often have to build into their programs potentially
conflicting objectives that speak to the needs of these different groups in
order to win. As a result, the platforms of major parties typically reflect:
● A) Unified Principles
● B) Prejudice
● C) Compromise
● D) Disagreement

❖ Cognitive Ability Tests

➢ The Wonderlic Personnel Test One of the MOST famous and widely used
cognitive ability tests)
■ Developed 1938; still widely used
■ A multiple choice test with 50 items
● Covers vocabulary, common sense reasoning, arithmetic,
analogies, more
● Primary factor measured by test is verbal comprehension, then
deduction and numerical
● Only 12 minutes to complete to 50 questions
● Questions start off easy and then get more difficult = Power Test
● Test-retest reliability is 0.82 to 0.94
❖ Cognitive Ability Testing in the NFL:
➢ The Wonderlic Personnel Test is used by the NFL each year during the draft as an
intelligence test.
➢ All positions in the NFL take the Wonderlic, but they pay particular attention to
the scores of quarterbacks. Why? Because the position of quarterback requires
high cognitive ability – decision making is very important as is memory.
■ If you take an average of the Wonderlic scores and Quarterback Ratings
for the past several Super Bowl winners, you get a rather lofty average of
40 so there appears to be a correlation (Exam concept).
➢ EXAMPLES:
■ 30 and Higher (Very Intelligent)
● Eli Manning: 39, Tony Romo: 37, Aaron Rodgers: 35, Tom Brady:
33, Ezekiel Elliott: 32, Philip Rivers: 30
■ 25-29 (Intelligent)
● Nick Foles: 29, Peyton Manning: 28, Drew Brees: 28, Joe Flacco:
27, Ben Roethlisberger: 25, Dak Prescott: 25
■ 20-24 (Above Average)
● RGIII: 24, Cam Newton: 21, Brett Favre: 22, Tim Tebow: 22

❖ The Validity of Cognitive Ability Tests:

Implications for Selection
➢ Studies indicate that Cognitive Ability Tests are VALID across a large variety of
jobs and can serve as useful selection instruments.
➢ How we evaluate Cognitive Ability Tests =
■ High Validity (good!)
■ High Adverse Impact (concerning)
■ Low Cost to Develop and Administer (we like this)
■ Somewhat Favorable Reactions from Applicants taking the tests (also
good).
➢ Some other important things to note regarding cognitive ability tests include
(EXAM):
■ 1) Usually, cognitive ability tests increase the predictability of job
performance as the job becomes more complex.
● Therefore, there may be some differences in the validity of
cognitive ability tests among different occupations. Doesn’t that
sound like a good T/F question.

■ 2) NO organizational effects on validity;

 ● Therefore, the SAME predictor variable can be used across all
organizations.
■ 3) Cognitive ability tests appear to generalize across cultures
● validities in Europe at least as high as those in the United States

■ 4) Beyond job performance, cognitive ability predicts other important

criteria, including health-conscious behaviors (such as tendency to
exercise – a happy, health employee is a productive employee), income,
and chances of turnover.

■ 5) Therefore they provide large economic gains for organizations that use
them!

❖ Cognitive Ability Tests

and Adverse Impact
➢ A downside of using cognitive ability tests in selection is the possibility of adverse
impact. If we use cognitive ability tests, we need to consider ways to MINIMIZE
adverse impact.
■ Adverse impact can sometimes be reduced by targeting qualified minority
applicants.

➢ Organizations might also consider other well-developed assessment methods

such as simulations, assessment centers, and interviews (all of these selection
methods have demonstrated LESS adverse impact than cognitive ability tests).
(Exam Concept)
■ Using a variety of selection tools will help overcome adverse impact!
■ Use assessment methods with LESS adverse impact EARLY in the selection
process
■ Those with GREATER adverse impact LATER in the process when we have
narrowed down our pool of candidates. (Exam Concept)

➢ Some professionals have advocated the use of BANDING to both achieve the
benefits of testing and minimize its adverse impact.
■ The concept of Banding, suggests that similar groups of people whose
scores differ by only a small amount all be treated as having the same
score. Then, within any band, preferential treatment is given to
minorities. (Remember Banding and its definition for Exam 3)
❖ Example of Banding:
➢ Banding is VERY Controversial, especially if the bands are set too wide.
➢ In many classes a score of 90-100 percent may constitute a 4.0 for the course.
This means that even though someone scoring 99 outperformed someone with a
score of 91, each gets the same grade (a 4.0). Banding uses the same logic for all
kinds of tests. Thus, if one was going to use the grade in the class as a selection
standard, this would mean that the person with the 91 is equal to the person
with the 99 (i.e., they both score a 4.0), and if their scores are tied, preference
should be given to the minority.

❖ Physical Ability Tests:

➢ Physical abilities tests measure Muscular Strength, Cardiovascular Endurance,
and Movement Quality (Exam).
■ An example of a test assessing movement quality is the test given to
firefighters. The test measures upper body strength (bench presses, grip
strengths), abdominal strength (sit-ups), aerobic endurance (step tests),
and physical mobility (roof ladder placement).
■ These tests determine your eligibility for the position. Are you physically
fit/eligible for the position? (Exam)

➢ PHYSICAL abilities tests are becoming increasingly common to screen out

individuals susceptible to repetitive stress injuries, such as carpal tunnel
syndrome.
■ Such pre-employment tests help keep workers compensation costs down
because they result in hiring physically fit/qualified employees which
keeps the number of injuries/work comp claims down! (Exam)
■ With these tests, you MUST be able to pass the physical fitness test to be
eligible for the job! Therefore, the physical fitness test is job related.
■ Example - Devilbiss Air Power – when they started using such tests,
complaints of repetitive stress injuries dropped significantly after they
began screening applicants for repetitive strain injuries. (Exam)

➢ We must ensure the physical fitness/ability test is JOB RELATED so we don’t get in
trouble especially under the ADA – Americans with Disabilities Act which
prohibits pre-employment medical exams. We can give physical ability tests BUT
only if they are job related. (Exam)

➢ These tests may also be necessary for equal employment opportunity reasons
(EEOC-Equal Employment Opportunity Commission requirements – remember
it’s the EEOC, no other agency for the exam).
 ■ We should NOT judge applicants based on the class they belong to. Take
for example, GENDER – male versus female.
■ Although female applicants typically score LOWER than male applicants
on a physical abilities test, the distributions of scores for male and female
applicants overlap considerably. Therefore, all applicants MUST be given
a chance to pass requirements and not be judged as a class. (Exam)
■ Out of the types of physical ability test, cardiovascular endurance
demonstrates MORE adverse impact against females than other tests.
(Exam)

➢ When carefully conducted for appropriate jobs, physical abilities tests can be
highly valid. (Exam)

❖ Physical Abilities Analysis

Legal Issues in Testing Physical Abilities
➢ Selection specialists working with physically demanding jobs must be concerned
with 3 groups of applicants that fall in protected classes: females, disabled
workers, and older workers. (Exam)
■ Adverse impact for scores on physical ability tests is a common
occurrence for each group. (Exam)

➢ Females: To reduce male-female differences, an appropriate strategy would be to

alter the job tasks.
➢ Diabled Workers: In regards to disabled workers, an employer is NOT justified in
presuming that person is unable to perform a job.
■ Necessary that a thorough job analysis be conducted and physical ability
tests be identified for important corresponding job tasks.
■ The job tasks may still be subject to reasonable accommodation directive.
■ In general, the Courts hold Employers to a MUCH HIGHER STANDARD
when accommodating employees returning to work after an illness or
injury THAN disability requests for new employees. (Exam)
➢ Older Workers: With older workers, no general presumptions can be made about
their physical abilities.
■ That is, an organization CANNOT assume that an applicant over the age of
40 years (which is the threshold age for the ADEA) is incapable of any
physical demands of a job.

➢ With all that said, the use of physical ability tests that correspond to job
requirements SHOULD be acceptable for selection decisions (Exam).
■ Physical Ability Tests = Job Related
❖ Physical Ability Test
Examples
➢ When we mention Physical Abilities Tests, we probably think of the physical
ability tests that are common to firefighters or police. (Exam)
➢ There are a LOT of other industries that have physical abilities tests.
■ For example, physical ability tests for truck drivers are common especially
in the heavy haul industry:
● Employers ask applicants “Are you capable of performing heavy
manual labor such as tarping or chaining loads and equipment?”
More transportation companies are requiring the exams because
more carriers are trying to hire healthier work-forces who are
more capable of doing their jobs safely.
● Drivers need to be able to properly secure their loads before
transport!

❖ Chapter Summary:
➢ All ABILITY tests are:
■ 1. Useful (valid predictors of job performance)
■ 2. Cheap (can be purchased at reasonable cost)
■ 3. Fast (most take 30 minutes or less)
■ 4. Easy (can be administered for one or many)
■ 5. Versatile (may come in several languages)
■ 6. Scorable (publishers provide scoring key)
■ 7. Understandable (all can understand)
■ 8. Sometimes falsely marketed – look at test development data and ask
for reliability and validity studies (technical manuals)!