Work Sample Testing

Abstract

The general evidence supporting the use of work sample tests (good criterion -related validity, positive applicant reaction and job preview capability) is reviewed, limitations are also noted. The extent to which work sample tests may be used to limit adverse impact in selection is reviewed and the extent to which work sample tests may be used to complement other selection instruments, in particular, cognitive ability tests, is discussed. Work sample tests are based on attempts to embody key tasks within the job in a selection instrument. Five distinctive (though not mutually exclusive) types of work sample tests are identified and validity evidence is reviewed. Key dimensions (bandwidth, fidelity, task specificity, necessary experience, type of tasks and mode of presentation and response) are identified and used to compare different types of work sample tests.

Assessing Competencies and Proficiency of Army Intelligence Analysts Across the Career Life Cycle

“…Work samples overcome some of the limitations of typical measures of job performance (e.g., supervisor ratings), such as difficulty in observing behaviors on the job, variability in job tasks across locations or assignments, and influences of external factors (e.g., coworker distraction) on job performance. Work samples also tend to be accepted by job incumbents and other stakeholders as job-related and fair because they resemble the job (Callinan and Robertson, 2000). As we describe in Chapter Four, we adapted a work-sample measure (a PE) that the MI schoolhouse uses in 35F AIT to measure analytic proficiency in this study.…”

Fit for Duty? Evaluating the Physical Fitness Requirements of Battlefield Airmen

“…Additional guidance and discussions of the challenges in using simulations emphasize the importance of sampling from job tasks, standardizing test conditions, and allowing test takers to practice the test (Callinan and Robertson, 2000;Henderson, Berry, and Matic, 2007;Lievens and De Soete, 2012).…”

Work Sample Tests: Their Relationship with Job Performance and Job Experience

“…Internships and probationary periods are examples of this last kind of test and therefore cannot be classified as work samples (Heneman & Judge, 2003;Roth, Bobko, & McFarland, 2005). Finally, it is also important to notice that, despite the frequent use of work sample tests as a predictor measure, they can be also used as a criterion measure as well, to validate important organizational outcomes, like training success (Callinan & Robertson, 2000).…”

“…Work sample tests have been widely used as a selection method since the beginning of the 20 th Century (Callinan & Robertson, 2000;Salgado, Ones, & Viswesvaran, 2001). A number of additional favorable arguments that go beyond their predictive validity justify their frequent utilization for selection purposes.…”

“…From the point of view of Salgado et al (2001, p. 180) "this is probably one of the largest amounts of incremental validity shown by a personnel selection method". The positive applicant reactions (Hausknecht, Day, & Thomas, 2004) and the resulting lower levels of adverse impact on ethnic groups, compared to paper-and-pencil tests of cognitive ability, constitute other remarkable positive characteristics of this method (Callinan & Robertson, 2000;Salgado, Ones, & Viswesvaran, 2001). With respect to the low level of adverse impact of work samples, it should be noted that this is related to the specific constructs that can be assessed by the work sample (Hough, Oswald, & Ployhart, 2001).…”