The results of the psychological tests can be meaningfully used in considering tested candidates for the jobs that might arise in the organization. They may also reveal promising applicants, who otherwise do not have the required qualification, education or training. However, the attitudes of the labor readers, employers, and employees, by and large, are not very favorable towards testing. Yet there is a widespread use of the testing techniques, particularly in the American industries.
This clearly shows that, despite such obstacles and also the great possibilities of misuse of psychological test, it is forging ahead as a modern industrial practice. The reasons are probably the robust logic behind it equally genuine efforts of many psychologists which have shown that the advantages of testing, far outweigh its limitations.
Numerical ability test authorizes the employers for evaluating an individual’s ability to deal with the numerical information. This test has been carefully designed for monitoring a candidate’s quality of performing the fundamental arithmetic operations like analyzing graphs or tabular data, carrying out estimates of business, analyzing a scenario of business, in a given time. The ability to solve problems with immense concentration and competence can be accurately assessed with these tests. However, a candidate who has some basic concepts in mathematics can undertake the test.
Employers’ Attitudes:
The attitude of the employers towards testing is mixed. Frequently their motives in introducing testing are not altruistic. Often such a decision is based on how much money will be saved by introducing a testing program. It is however often difficult to work out the costs. Unless the various benefits that may follow testing such as, low-cost selection, training etc. are taken into account. Psychologists are however really in a position to know about such things unless managements themselves try to determine them. Often employees have shown the willingness to part with a certain fixed percentage of money to the psychologists, from the money saved from in-training programs. Such a practice is however not at all ethical. Often employee grasps at testing as, the last straw to save some hopeless situation. However, as we have pointed out already, this does not always help to solve the problems, unless they are really created by wrong selection policies of the organization. Obviously, when a testing program does not produce expected results, it often sets employers against testing.
After the various general considerations regarding the characteristics and uses of psychological testing, it would be more appropriate to summarize a few more points here. Points concerning the actual introduction of the testing programs in an industry are in short five important steps that need to be carefully planned in any sound and scientific testing program of personnel selection. They are outlined as follows:
- Examining the job in question.
- Selecting criteria and predictor.
- Measuring job performance.
- Measuring test performance.
- Accepting or rejecting the test as being of no value.
No testing program, however, can be sound and successful unless it is accompanied by a research program. The objective of a research program is to find out, whether the tests used for selection are serving a useful purpose.
