Deck 5: Methods for Assessing and Selecting Employees

Question 1

A standardized test is one that

A) is available through published sources.
B) has been researched.
C) has established reliability and validity.
D) All of the above

Answer 1

All of the above

Question 2

If, after hire, applicants who score high on a test do well and applicants who score low do poorly, the test can be said to have

A) good predictive validity.
B) good content validity.
C) good concurrent validity.
D) good reliability.

Answer 2

good predictive validity.

Question 3

Which of the following personality characteristics has been indicated by research to be a good predictor of employee job performance?

A) ego strength
B) self-esteem
C) conscientiousness
D) assertiveness

Answer 3

conscientiousness

Question 4

The reliability method which involves correlating scores on two different but equivalent versions of the same instrument is called

A) the parallel forms method.
B) the test-retest method.
C) the split-half method.
D) criterion-related.

Question 5

The Wonderlic Employee Test is an example of a

A) cognitive ability test.
B) mechanical ability test.
C) motor and sensory ability test.
D) personality test.

Question 6

A standardized typing test is an example of a

A) mechanical ability test.
B) motor and sensory ability test.
C) personality test.
D) job skills test.

Question 7

A dozen job applicants are seated at word processors that allow the applicants to type for exactly 10 minutes, while their typing speed and accuracy is automatically measured. What type of test was administered?

A) Group; speed; performance
B) Group; power; performance
C) Individual; speed; performance
D) Group; speed; pencil-and-paper

Question 8

A power test is one that

A) tests the individual's physical strength.
B) allows the test-taker sufficient time to complete the entire test.
C) has a fixed time limit.
D) is always administered to a group.

Question 9

A researcher wants to know if a test measures the characteristics necessary to perform a specific job. The researcher is concerned with the test's

A) internal consistency.
B) content validity.
C) criterion-related validity.
D) concurrent validity.

Question 10

Validity refers to

A) the stability of a measure over time.
B) the accuracy of a measure (or accuracy of inferences drawn from measurements).
C) the ability of a measure to predict work behavior.
D) the cost-effectiveness of a measure.

Question 11

The use of employee testing

A) has declined since World War II.
B) is confined only to upper-level management positions.
C) is increasing in public, but not in private, sector organizations.
D) is quite widespread in organizations today.

Question 12

An intelligence test is a type of

A) cognitive ability test.
B) mechanical ability test.
C) motor and sensory ability test.
D) personality test.

Question 13

Letters of recommendation and references may have limited value because

A) they are almost always slanted in a positive direction.
B) for legal reasons, many companies are refusing to provide them.
C) candidates may select which references are to be contacted.
D) All of the above

Question 14

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory is best used to

A) assess normal personality characteristics which are necessary to perform any job.
B) predict which employees would make the best managers.
C) screen out applicants who possess some psychopathology.
D) select applicants to be given polygraph tests.

Question 15

The reliability method which involves administering a test to the same individual at two different points in time is called

A) the parallel forms method.
B) the test-retest method.
C) the split-half method.
D) internal consistency.

Question 16

It is important that all questions on a standard application form

A) cover all details of the applicant's personal life that the supervisor feels are relevant.
B) be clearly job related.
C) relate to basic information like age, ethnic background, marital status, etc.
D) All of the above

Question 17

The two approaches to criterion-related validity are

A) predictive validity and internal consistency.
B) content validity and concurrent validity.
C) predictive validity and concurrent validity.
D) content validity and predictive validity.

Question 18

Letters of recommendation are most commonly used

A) in selecting workers for lower-level positions.
B) instead of hiring interviews.
C) in applications to graduate school.
D) for hiring managers.

Question 19

Reliability refers to

A) the stability of a measure over time.
B) the accuracy of a measure.
C) the ability of a measure to predict work behavior.
D) the cost-effectiveness of a measure.

Question 20

Research has shown that the information on a job application that most consistently predicts job success usually deals with

A) age and future goals.
B) intelligence and willingness to work hard.
C) level of education and prior work experience.
D) the number of positions held up until that point.

Question 21

Biographical information concerning education and previous work experience is believed to be the most consistent predictor of future job performance.

Question 22

Polygraphs may be used

A) by all organizations for any purpose deemed relevant.
B) only for specific incidents and in screening for some government positions.
C) in the hiring of high-level executives.
D) to determine if job applicants lied on the application form.
E) All of the above

Question 23

The ability to understand, regulate, and communicate emotions and to use them to inform thinking is called

A) emotional intelligence.
B) self-esteem.
C) conscientiousness.
D) ego strength.

Question 24

The most widely used employee screening and selection device is

A) cognitive ability and job skills tests.
B) hiring interviews.
C) assessment centers.
D) personality and managerial skills tests.

Question 25

Which of the following is the least valid employee screening tool?

A) Integrity tests
B) Personality tests
C) Handwriting analysis
D) Work samples

Question 26

An objective of the hiring interview should be to

A) help fill in gaps in the information that has already been obtained.
B) serve as a realistic job preview.
C) serve an important public relations function for the company.
D) All of the above

Question 27

Even when using standardized tests, it is critical that the tests' abilities to predict job success be established for the particular position in question.

Question 28

Research on hiring interviews indicates that

A) they are one of the most effective selection tools available.
B) they are sometimes not a very effective means for selecting people for jobs.
C) they are the most cost-effective selection strategy.
D) they have higher predictive validity than most screening tests.

Question 29

Research has clearly shown that the characteristic that best predicts future job performance is the length of time the applicant stayed in his or her previous job.

Question 30

The internal consistency of a test refers to whether or not an individual would get similar scores on the test with repeated administrations.

Question 31

According to research, which of the following screening methods is the best predictor of job performance?

A) Interviews
B) Biodata
C) References
D) Job-related employee tests

Question 32

Antoinette applies for a job and spends a full day in discussions with other applicants and doing samples of work tasks, all the while being observed and rated. Antoinette is undergoing

A) an assessment center.
B) a test battery.
C) a "smart test."
D) a situational interview.

Question 33

Assessment centers attempt to measure

A) applicants' ability to get along with others.
B) applicants' readiness for on-the-job training.
C) specific managerial skills and characteristics.
D) computer and technological skills.

Question 34

For the most part, utility analyses of standardized employee testing programs indicate that

A) the use of tests to assist in employee selection is usually cost-effective.
B) the only area where tests are cost-effective is with the hiring of management employee.
C) considering legal costs connected with defending new hires, tests are too expensive to use.
D) tests are not nearly predictive enough to be of any real value.

Question 35

With legal restrictions on the use of polygraphs, organizations have turned increasingly to __________ as alternative screening tools.

A) personality tests
B) cognitive ability tests
C) meta-analyses
D) integrity tests

Question 36

The most effective use of screening tests involves

A) a number of instruments used in combination.
B) hiring interviews before tests are administered.
C) personality tests.
D) administering tests in an assessment center.

Question 37

A "smart test" is

A) a cognitive ability test.
B) a test with a fixed time limit.
C) a test that adjusts the level of item difficulty.
D) any test administered by a computer.

Question 38

A situational interview

A) asks interviewees how they would deal with hypothetical job situations.
B) asks interviewees to draw on past work incidents to deal with hypothetical future work situations.
C) asks interviewees to perform simulations of work-related behaviors.
D) is a basic part of assessment centers.

Question 39

A test that validly predicts performance in more than one setting is said to have

A) predictive validity.
B) high validity generalization.
C) high test utility.
D) high reliability

Question 40

The greatest source of problems affecting hiring interview validity is

A) the nervousness of most candidates who are being interviewed.
B) interviewer biases and snap judgments.
C) the amount of time typically given to the interview process.
D) the fact that most candidates get help from career counselors.

Question 41

Discuss the use of letters of recommendation and references in hiring.

Question 42

Cognitive ability tests assess constructs that are similar to intelligence.

Question 43

Applicants for positions operating or repairing machinery, for construction jobs, and for certain engineering positions are most likely to be given mechanical ability tests.

Question 44

Research indicates that hiring interviews are overall the best assessment tool for use in selecting top-rate employees.

Question 45

Concurrent validity of a test is determined by comparing scores on the test before hire with performance measures after hire.

Question 46

The validity of handwriting analysis as a screening device is supported by research results.

Question 47

Recent meta-analytic reviews suggest that certain personality tests can be quite good predictors of job performance.

Question 48

A power test is one that has a fixed time limit for applicants to complete the test.

Question 49

Test utility refers to how easily a particular screening strategy can be used.

Question 50

Briefly discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the use of hiring interviews in employee selection.

Question 51

Describe two ways in which reliability of a test can be determined.

Question 52

Compare and contrast content validity and criterion-related validity.

Question 53

Explain how organizations can conduct more effective hiring interviews.

Question 54

Polygraphs, or lie detectors, are routinely used throughout industry to select "honest" employees for a wide range of jobs.

Question 55

Discuss how the effectiveness of employee screening tests is determined.

Question 56

Discuss how organizations can avoid making subjective judgments in hiring decisions.

Question 57

Explain why job skills tests may be more useful in screening applicants than personality tests.

Question 58

Assessment centers are very low-cost and easy to use in assessing employee skills and abilities.

Question 59

Computer-adaptive tests are also referred to as "smart tests."

Question 60

Describe realistic job previews and consequences of their use.