Online Psychometric Test Mini-Course: Lesson 1
Welcome to our first session in Psychometric Testing!
In this first session we will explore the following:
1. What is a psychometric test?
2. A brief background of psychometric testing.
What is a psychometric test? How are they developed?
Let’s start out by telling you what a psychometric test is not!
You may have come across various different online tests. Not all of them are psychometric. Whether they are or not will depend on how they were designed, for what purpose and what they intend to measure. For example, you may have come across the Thematic Apperception Test or the Rorshach Inkblot Test. These tests are used mainly in clinical settings. The client is asked to look at scenes or pictures and to articulate what they see. Such tests are supposed to be able to assess the unconscious mind. However, interpretation is not as objective as we would like to see in occupational testing and assessment. Furthermore, what the client “sees” may be based on external factors such as culture, upbringing or season of the year.
Psychometric Tests are different! They are defined as quantitative (numerical) assessments of one or more psychological (in the head) attributes. So, psychometric tests are used to assess in a quantitative way things like numerical reasoning skills, verbal aptitude, extroversion, conscientiousness and so on. That alone does not make a test psychometric of course. In order to be psychometric the test must have been designed to be:
1. Administered in a standardised manner
2. Scored in a standardised manner
3. Interpreted in a standardised manner
4. Constructed according to psychometric principles
You’ll see later how important standardisation is throughout the use of psychometric tools. In fact standardisation is a critical element of all scientific HR processes.
As for being constructed according the psychometric principles, what we mean here is that the test must have gone through each aspect of a very scientific development process. It is not good enough to simply write down a few questions, produce a flashy report and start selling a new test! This is the process it must go through:
a. Development of a rationale behind the test that is supported by research. For example – if I decide to develop a new test of extroversion, the scientific research literature and models must inform the design of my questions and the aspects of extroversion that I attempt to assess.
b. Next I need to write some experimental questions. At this stage I’ll write more questions than I intend to have in the final version of my test because I am prepared to throw some out based on feedback.
c. Now I’ll find a sample of people (who represent the group I am designing the test for) and I’ll ask this sample to complete my experimental test. In other words, I pilot my test.
d. Next I head back to my office and assess the responses and how they relate to each other statistically. At this stage I am running item analysis to test that similar questions (items) are indeed related to each other in the way I would expect. More on this later. The point to grasp now is that this is an iterative process. Things won’t be perfect the first time around. Based on the statistics I’ll need to remove some questions, refine others and then go back to point C. I’ll do this again and again until I am happy with the statistics I get at point D!
e. Now that my test questions are performing well I need to enter a standardisation phase. Here, a larger group of people will complete my test and that will show me where people tend to score on the test. This group will become my benchmark or norm group later and add meaning to the scores of future test-takers.
f. The next question is “Does my new test actually assess what it is supposed to assess and/or does it predict something meaningful?”. As an example, you would expect my numerical reasoning test to predict success of accountant trainees. This stage is called Validation, we are assessing the validity of the test or whether it is fit for purpose.
g. Now, we all know from science classes at school that all good experiments end with a write-up! That’s exactly what we do at the final stage of psychometric test development. We need to write up all of the above stages in a long document which is called the test’s technical manual. It is this manual that prospective clients with reputable training in psychometrics will consult before purchasing a psychometric test. So, if your test publisher tells you they don’t have such a document, it might be wise to stay away from them. On the other hand – do expect to pay for the manual. Some publishers will offer them free of charge but others will require a fee.
Based on the above, hopefully you can see that developing tests well takes time and effort. It is for this reason that good tests are usually not cheap! Not only that. The test is not static. People change, norms change and so validities may even change. The publisher cannot put the test on the shelf and forget as if it were a book they wrote years ago. This is why usually clients will pay a fee per test report or per candidate whenever they use the test. If you are attracted by free or very cheap internet-based tests you could be making a costly mistake. Particularly if you plan using the test in candidate selection for your business.
What is the history of psychometric testing?
Let’s give you a very brief background at this stage. Something that I find interesting being based in Asia and often working with Western-developed tests is the role Asia has in the development of psychometric tests for assessment at work! If it had not been for the Chinese Cultural Revolution, China may actually be far more advanced in this field than the West because China certainly was testing for individual differences before such testing was recorded in Europe or the USA. The Chinese government believed it important to test for entrants to the Civil Service more than 4000 years ago! However, at the time of the Cultural Revolution, this sort of assessment was outlawed as being too bourgeoisie.
This paved the way for the West to develop individual difference assessment and one of the first names to crop up in textbooks is French Psychologist Binet who around 1905 coined the term IQ. His application of testing was of course more related to education. The World Wars saw an increase in and marked use of psychological assessment for selection decisions. Here people were forcibly recruited into the army through conscription. The arduous task for decision-makers was where best to place these newcomers. The Army Alpha and Army Beta tests assisted in answering this question. Although successful for war-time placements, the same tests used in peacetime by commercial organisations gained a poor reputation as they worked less well (they were not designed for this application).
Nowadays tests are used extensively in organisations to assist in selection and development decisions as well as team-building, career guidance and performance appraisal. Reputable test publishers go out of their way to assess their tests and ensure they are free from bias and that they work to do the job they were designed to do. Tests are useful decision-making tools although they should never be used on their own. You’ll find out why later. One of the biggest problems we face in Asia is an influx of poorly designed tests along with non-psychologist distributors who know little about psychology and psychometrics. In this course you’ll learn more about this, how to spot good from bad and above all you’ll gain the confidence to make competent decisions about using the best psychometric test for your purpose.
Interested in learning more about psychometric testing for HRM? Keep reading – your next free session is not far away! To ensure you don’t miss a single instalment, we suggest you follow-us on twitter as each new post will be announced there. You may also like to join our face-to-face psychometric training courses in Singapore or Hong Kong – these range from simple introductory courses through to Certification Courses such as the BPS Level A and BPS Level B Certificates of Competence in Occupational Testing. Not in Singapore or Hong Kong? No problem – we also offer both recorded and live online training in psychometrics! For full details please see here or email us.
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Personality Tests – customised for Singaporeans?
If the claims of some HR practitioners in Asia are founded, we may need customised Personality Tests for every group out there, Singaporeans included. Is this really the case? Find out what science tells us at PsyAsia’s FREE webinar on Chinese Personality and its assessment for predicting workplace performance. Full details of the webinar can be found by clicking the graphic below:
Register for the Free HRM Webinar
Online Training in Psychometric Personality Tests
Online Training in Psychometric Tests
Singapore-based Psychometric Test distributor PsyAsia International has announced that they will begin offering a live online training and accreditation program for the Apollo Profile from 1-4 June. The training will be run by an experienced business psychologist who is accredited with the Apollonean Institute to accredit users of this personality test.
One of the major benefits of Apollo over other personality assessments is that it compares the candidate’s scores on each of its 34 business personality scales to those who have been rated as excellent. Different comparison groups are available which means the client can compare their candidate(s) with excellent sales employees, call centre staff, supervisors, leaders and so on. Most personality assessments compare candidates with the average person rather than excellence and hence this makes Apollo a rarity as well as a highly-valid tool.
PsyAsia International has been offering world-class training in Asia since 2002. The company only uses fully qualified and registered organisational psychologists to ensure quality and competence. This means that PsyAsia’s psychologists typically have as much training as a medical doctor, not to mention the hours of professional development they are required to undergo each year! PsyAsia added online training to their repertoire in 2008 and followed this with their first live online training course at the end of 2009 – the Psychometric Test Administration Course.
The test administration course follows the British Psychological Society’s syllabus for their Certificates of Competence in Occupational Testing and allows the attendee to request that PsyAsia also assess them for the BPS Certificate in Occupational Test Administration. Training runs over 3 consecutive daily sessions of about 70-80 minutes, starting at 5pm Singapore/Hong Kong time which is 9am UCT/GMT. Each session is recorded and attendees can log-into PsyAsia’s online learning centre to view them as well as to chat with other attendees and post questions in the interactive forum.
The online training for the Apollo Profile will follow a similar format to the company’s Live Online Psychometric Test Administration Course. Apollo training will run over 4 consecutive daily sessions. There will be some pre-course work along with homework and a final piece of post-course work. Attendees without a background in psychometric testing will also need to complete the test administration course but there is no additional fee for this.
PsyAsia team member Cynthia Wong was asked to comment on who she thought would benefit from the training.
“Anybody who is interested in using a top-rate personality assessment such as the Apollo Profile will definitely benefit. This assessment has numerous uses which include recruitment/selection, development, team-building and career coaching. Moreover, those who may find it difficult or inconvenient to attend our face-to-face training in Asia now have an option to receive the same training and accreditation online.” said Ms. Wong.
Registration is now open for the June Apollo Profile sessions. Due to the online nature, attendees don’t need to be based in Asia. All training is conducted in English so registration is open to anybody who is able to make the time slots and credit cards are accepted. To register, simply follow the links on the course page at: http://www.psyasia.com/apollo_profile_accreditation_course.php
If you would like to find out more about the Apollo Profile, please see here: http://www.psyasia.com/personality_tests_apollo.php
You may also be interested in attending the free Apollo Profile webinar from Jim Bowden, the publisher, on 17 May. Full details at http://webinars.psyasia.com
Apollo Profile Personality Test Webinar
British Psychological Society Certificates of Competence in Occupational Testing – Level A and B – Singapore
British Psychological Society Certificates of Competence in
Occupational Testing - Level A and B
We are pleased to advise that the next run of training for PsyAsia International’s Psychometric Assessment at Work course which leads to fulfilment of the requirements of the British Psychological Society Certificates of Competence in Occupational Testing - Level A and B will be in Singapore on the following dates:
Level A: 9-11 June
Level B: 14-16 June
PsyAsia International’s course is run by our director, award-winning registered Psychologist, Dr. Graham Tyler. PsyAsia is the only provider of this course in Asia using resident facilitators. There are no exams with the PsyAsia course either, unlike some overseas providers! In addition, PsyAsia provides all delegates with access to the online learning centre to allow them to learn through recorded learning, interactive forums and even live sessions with the facilitator before the course even begins. Our training is well respected in Singapore and throughout the region as attested by the many positive reviews through the years published at the course webpage. Given that our March Level B course was fully booked 3 weeks before it went ahead, please do register early!
British Psychological Society Certificates of Competence in Occupational Testing in Singapore
Saville Consulting Wave Training Discounts for Singapore and Hong Kong
Saville Consulting Wave® – Highest Validity per 15 minutes of test-time!
The Saville Consulting Wave was developed by the originator of the OPQ and co-founder of SHL, Professor Peter Saville as an alternative to the static assessments available in the market. Wave assesses candidate’s motives and talents within a validation-centric framework. It was validated within 100 separate businesses.
The tool uses both normative and dynamic ipsative questions and has been shown to have greater validity in predicting performance and leadership than any tool it has been compared to in research. Furthermore, the shorter version of Wave, the Focus Questionnaire has more validity per 15 minutes of test-taking time than any comparison questionnaire.
Profile jobs, run 360 performance appraisal, assess personality type for team-building, assess entrepreneurial potential and provide extensive development advice all within one framework
The performance culture framework which underlies the Saville Consulting Wave allows the tool to be used extensively for different HR applications from recruitment/selection through to performance appraisal and development.
Follow the links below for further details:
 Wave Professional Styles |
Performance Card Set |
| Wave Focus Styles |
 Wave Performance 360 |
 Wave Types |
 Wave Development |
 Wave Entrepreneurial |
Wave Culture |
 Wave Job Profiler |
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Become accredited to use the Wave
with a 25% early-bird discount
Take action now! Your competitors may already be trained to use this century’s revolution in personality assessment. We’ve trained people from the big consulting firms to small local careers advisors to recruitment consultants, government ministries and universities. We want to provide you with an incentive to join the increasing number of professionals who value high validity in selection and support from local psychologists in Asia. PsyAsia International, Asia’s leader in psychometric training, runs the Wave training in Singapore and Hong Kong. We’re offering a 25% early-bird discount for our next courses in those locations:
Wave Conversion Course: 1 Day – View course details
For those with BPS Level B or those who are qualified to use
a substantive personality assessment such as OPQ but not including tests such
as MBTI/DISC/HARRISON etc.
SINGAPORE: 17 June (SG$1200 / SG$900)
HONG KONG: 6 July (HK$6000 / HK$4500)
Wave Module Course: 2 Days – View course details
For those without a qualification in a substantive personality
assessment.
SINGAPORE: 17-18 June (SG$2050 / SG$1538)
HONG KONG: 6-7 July (HK$9888 / HK$7416)
For the early-bird offer (25% discount), please register at http://www.psyasia.com/register
and quote WAVESEB for Singapore courses and WAVEHEB
for Hong Kong Courses. Deadline is 15 May for Singapore and 31 May for Hong
Kong.
Note – delegates on our BPS Level B course in
Singapore always get 50% discount off the Wave Conversion
course which follows their Level B training. More details at http://www.psyasia.com/bpscourses
Course Reviews from Previous Attendees
“Informative, relevant to work, knowledgeable facilitator”
Danny
Hay Group
“Good introduction to the tool and practical session was useful”
Geraldyn Fong
Managing Consultant (Psychologist)
Hudson Global Resources, Singapore
“Insightful and informative. The methodology behind the Saville
Consulting Wave Report is light years ahead of other psychometric tests yet
it is a breeze to use! The interface between motives, competencies and culture
is exactly the missing link that recruiters are looking for.”
Diana Yeo
Ministry of Defence, Singapore
“A highly practical and enjoyable approach to the application
of an extremely useful tool for selection and development – well worth the investment,
highly recommended.”
Neville Pearsall
Director HR
RMIT International University, Vietnam
Not ready for training and accreditation
but still want to use the Wave?
Then please consider PsyAsia’s Psychologist-on-Call™
service instead. Our registered psychologists will take care of the complete process for you, including a call and behavioural interview for your candidates and a feedback session with the decision-maker. More details at http://www.psyasia.com/psychologist_candidate_screening.php.
Free Psychometric Test Training in Singapore
Psychometrics Singapore / PsyAsia International offer Free Psychometric Testing Course in Singapore
Introduction to Psychometric Testing Course: Singapore 11 May 2010
PsyAsia International is Asia’s independent Leader in Psychometric Test products and Training. We choose to distribute only the world’s best, most validated psychometric assessments and offer locally relevant, world-class training in psychometrics. The Introduction to Psychometrics Workshop expands on PsyAsia’s expertise in Psychometric Training in Asia by offering a course geared to those with very little experience or understanding in Psychometrics. Many first time clients don’t understand why they need to be careful in their choice or use of psychometrics and many do not understand why training is a necessity in competent test use.
This one-day course aims to provide experienced-based training in an accessible and economical way. The course is easy to understand and yet covers many of the important issues to be aware of when choosing and using psychometric tests. Given our passion for Asia and our passion for the competent use of psychometric tests in Asia, PsyAsia makes no profit on this course. We charge delegates a small fee that reflects the cost of the hotel venue (including buffet lunch and refreshments) where the training is held as well as materials that we provide to the delegates. What’s more, if you later decide to attend one of our accreditation courses in Psychometrics, we will issue you with a discount code that reduces your course fee by the amount you paid for this course!
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The history of psychometric testingTo view full course details and to register, please click here.
Psychometric Test Products in Singapore and Psychometric Training in Singapore – daily free webinars
PsyAsia International is pleased to announce that until the end of March we will be offering free daily webinars to showcase our product range. Their will be no set agenda. The agenda will be set by attendees. Please note however that product knowledge may differ depending on which of our consultants is running the webinar. Come along and chat with our consultants, see the Saville Consulting Wave, Identity Personality Assessment and the Apollo Profile in action. Ask questions about training and consulting options and so forth!
For times and to register, please click here…
Free Webinar – Amazing Apollo Profile Personality Test
The Amazing Apollo Profile
This free webinar will be facilitated by Mr. Jim Bowden, the developer of the Apollo Profile. The session will be interactive (provided attendees kit themselves out with headphones and a mic!) and Jim will present numerous interesting case studies.
The webinar will cover the following:
• Introduction: The Amazing Apollo Profile- can transform Recruitment, Staff Development, and Organisation Performance –Client example
• Apollo Questionnaire – valid/reliable/comprehensive
• Why is Apollo amazing? Apollo Advantages
• Using and interpreting of Apollo reports with anecdotes
• Recruitment – Accurate, easy, low cost – Case Study using Apollo Best Match in China for filtering 12,000 applicants for 40 Graduate level jobs
• Training and Development – Unique Apollo report PLUS downloadable solutions. Convenient, low cost, motivating
• Organisation Development. Benchmarking: Can analyse and identify current corporate strengths and weaknesses – then create high performing models/culture, identify engagement issues – case studies
• Customising: Develop models that work specifically for your organisation. If your organisation is serious about leadership through people.
• Integrate everything together with flexible multi-purpose Internet Online solutions. Use your own competencies frameworks and vocabulary – examples
• Special Offer – have to listen to Webinar to find out!
Date: Monday, May 17, 2010
Time: 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM SGT
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP, 2003 Server or 2000
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/522465752
Psychometric Training Singapore BPS Level A and B Certificates of Competence in Occupational Testing
PsyAsia International has announced new dates for our Psychometric Assessment at Work Course in Singapore.
PsyAsia has been running this course in Singapore and Hong Kong since 2002 and has collected many impressive delegate reviews. We were the first company to bring regular public BPS Level A and B training to Singapore and today we retain the only resident facilitators for this training!
The course is run by a British Psychological Society award-winning resident and registered business psychologist with a PhD earned through work with validation of Psychometric Tests in Asia. For more details of the course and facilitator and to register online, please click here.
The Singapore Psychometric Assessment at Work course will run over the following dates:
BPS Level A:
12-14 May 2010 or 9-11 June 2010
BPS Level B:
14-16 June 2010
Psychometric Test Administration only:
12 May or 9 June / or Live Online Training 30 March-01 April 5pm-6.20pm each day.
The dates are arranged as above to enable our delegates to choose whether to complete the whole course at once (9-11 June and 14-16 June) or to complete Level A first, then have a break before moving on to Level B (12-14 May and then 14-16 June). In addition, delegates may choose to only attend 5 days of the course and instead to attend our online Test Administration Training (see above), removing the need for attendance on 12 May or 9 June. Delegates will still need to be prepared to be assessed on Test Admin and Test Scoring once they attend! Please contact us before registering if you wish to choose this option.
Note: our March 2010 course in Singapore was fully booked (and in fact oversubscribed with a waiting list) 3 weeks before the course. Please ensure therefore that you register early. Early registration has additional benefits which include full access to this course’s area of our innovative online learning center where you can download training videos/courses, interact with other delegates, join in the forum and online chat and benefit from optional online live training with your facilitator even before the face-to-face training commences!
The day immediately following Level B is conversion training for the Saville Consulting Wave®. Level B delegates may register for this training at 50% off the regular fee by selecting that option during the booking process. In addition, anybody who registers for our BPS Level A/B Training before March 18 can join any other PsyAsia course at a 30% discount off the regular fee – please contact us for a special discount code if you wish to use this offer!
Interested in taking this course in HONG KONG?
For the next intake of students for our Psychometric Assessment at Work / BPS Level A and B course in Hong Kong, PsyAsia International is surveying interested individuals to provide us feedback on your preferred dates. Our survey is really simple with just 4 questions and will take you 30 seconds to complete. We’ll be sure to get back to you with the final confirmed dates if you leave your email address at the end of the survey. Click here to take survey
Psychometric Tests – Translation Bias
Types of Bias in Psychometric Test Translation
With the demand and need for psychological tests increasing in various different cultures and countries, there has been much greater awareness regarding some of the issues that are associated with the development or adaptation of tests to be used in contexts and situations that may be different from which the test was developed for. This article focuses on one of the key aspects of translating tests, the types of bias that can occur.
When utilizing the test in a new cultural group, it is not quite as simple as directly translating the test, administering it and then comparing the results for its validity. There are a number of issues that need to be considered such as whether the area assessed with the test applies to the new culture or whether is may be biased towards that group and whether what is assessed by the test also has similar behavioral indicators? These are just some of the potential areas where bias can be found in the translation of tests and affect the validity of the test being utilized in the new context.
Van der Vijer & Hambleton (1996) differentiates between three distinct types of bias that may affect the validity of tests that have been adapted for different cultural contexts and these are construct bias, method bias and item bias.
Construct bias occurs when the construct (e.g. personality) that is measured by the test displays significant differences between the original culture for which it was developed and the new culture where it is going to be utilized. These differences can occur in the way that the construct was formulated and developed as well as in the relevant behaviors that are associated with the construct. It is critical to examine whether the underlying theory of the test is subject to construct bias and this can be examined through the studies examining the construct and its associated behaviors in the context that it will be utilized in. If there are significant differences found in these studies, it may indicative that there is construct bias. Major revisions may be required to overcome this bias. If not, the validity of the test will be affected.
Method bias refers to factors or issues related to the administration of the test that may affect the validity of the test. Examples of areas that method bias can occur include social desirability, acquiescence response styles, the conditions in which the test was conducted and the motivation of the respondents. Across cultures, there potentially can be differences that can occur in these areas and these can affect the way that the respondents answer the items in the test. This potentially may lead to differences between found that can be erroneously attributed to cultural differences when in fact, these differences are the result of differences in the administration procedures. As a result, it is threat to the validity of tests that have been adapted for use in new cultures. Test developers also not only need to focus on the adaptation of the test itself but also need to be aware of issues regarding the implementation of the test in a new context.
Item bias is another source of bias that can occur in the translation of tests and these refer to biases that occur with the items in the test. This is usually the result of either poor translation choices for items or due to culturally inappropriate translations. For example, the phrase “kick the bucket” is essentially a phrase that referring to passing away in the Western context and is commonly known by most people in that culture; unfortunately, this phrase would have no meaning for people from cultures without any prior experience with that phrase. In this manner, a literal translation of that phrase would be a poor translation as it does not convey the correct meaning of the item. The items in the test need to be culturally equivalent, where the meaning of the items needs to be correctly translated so as to maintain the validity of the test in the new cultural context.
These are some of the biases that may occur during the translation of tests. Test developers will need to be aware of the sources of bias and take the appropriate measures to avoid these biases.
References:
Van der Vijer, F. and Hambleton, R. K. (1996). Translating tests: some practical guidelines. European Psychologist, 1, 89-99.
Psychometric Training in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and China
If you are serious about using psychometric tests properly then we recommend joining PsyAsia International’s Psychometric Assessment at Work Course which leads to a certificate of competence in Occupational Testing Level A and Level B from the British Psychological Society. The Course is run publically in Singapore and Hong Kong or in-house anywhere.
More details about BPS Level A and B in Singapore and Hong Kong
Online Psychometric Training – Worldwide
Alternatively, you might be interested in introductory Online Psychometric Test Training presented live by a registered psychologist. PsyAsia is offering a special fee of just US$12 for anybody who registers for the February online psychometric training course!
More details about online psychometric test training
