To Retest or Not to Retest: Answers (Part 2)
In our previous blog, I reviewed the research literature related to the retesting of applicants. Summarizing our findings from Part 1:
- If someone takes a test again, his/her score will increase.
- If a group of individuals are retested, the rank-order will change.
- At least two months, but more realistically 6 months to a year, should be required between most retests.
- Given a candidate is willing, there seems to be no reason to limit retests. The issues are really whether to even allow a first retest and the time between retests.
- Under typical situations, where only a portion of the applicants may be taking the test a second time, the first administration will probably be the most valid; but there are many factors that may influence this conclusion. And, from 1 above, we would expect those taking the test a second time to have higher scores than the first time examinees.
This month, our goal is to arrive at some practical suggestions regarding practice based on professional and government guidelines, the public sector testing model, and the previously mentioned research findings in order to come up with recommendations for applied practice. This will include a discussion of how we should determine a score for someone who is retested. (more…)
Update to PSUP Test Series Reading List
The reading list for the PSUP series of Police Supervisor Tests has been updated to reflect the release of a new edition of one of the books that appears on the list.
The updated reading list table is below:
| TYPE | TEST NAME | LAST UPDATED |
|---|---|---|
| Police | PSUP 301/302/303 | May 2015 |
| PL 301 | Jan 2015 | |
| PDET 201/202 | Jan 2015 | |
| Fire | FCO 401-EM/402-EM | Apr 2015 |
| FCO 403/404 | Apr 2015 | |
| Corrections | CF-FLS 202 | Jan 2014 |
| ECC | ECC-FLS 202 | Jan 2014 |
To Retest or Not to Retest; That is the Question (Part 1)
Well, not the only question. In this blog, we will consider a series of questions including:
- If someone takes the test again, will there score change?
- If a group of individuals are retested, will the rank-order of the scores change?
- How much time should there be between retests?
- How many retests should be allowed?
- Which test scores are the most valid for predicting performance?
My answers will be based primarily on the research literature. However, retesting is one of those topics where the importance of the question to practitioners has far outpaced the quantity and applicability of the published research literature.
Introducing the new FCO 400 Series
We are excited to introduce our new 400 Series Fire Company Officer Tests. These tests were designed to assess whether candidates have the competencies to perform successfully at the rank of fire company officer (i.e., lieutenant, captain) in a fire department. FCO 401-EM and FCO 402-EM were designed for those departments that perform emergency medical (EM) services. The series is comprised of four tests:
These tests are meant to fully replace the two Fire Company Officer A and A with EM tests we’ve been offering for the past year, and more fully reflect the FCO 300 Series that were offered in Spring 2014 and earlier.
Feel free to request the reading list for these 4 tests. The reading list is quite different from the Fire Company Officer A and A with EM tests because two books are now in new editions. (more…)
Aligning Job Expectations and Reality
A look at Realistic Job Previews in public safety
Though the concept has been around at least since the studies conducted by J.P. Wanous in the 1980s, Realistic Job Previews (RJP) are quickly becoming a standard recruitment tool across industries. The reason? RJPs bring an applicant’s expectations into alignment with reality, significantly reducing turnover and creating substantial cost-savings for employers.
Often referred to as “realistic recruitment,” RJPs are especially useful in fields with higher than average turnover, such as public safety — a fact more and more agencies are taking to heart. Applicants for public safety positions — emergency dispatchers, police officers, firefighters and corrections officers — drop out of the process all too often, due to an incomplete or unrealistic understanding about what the job entails. Popular culture and the media are often the basis for candidates’ inaccurate perceptions, making the job often seem more exciting or action-packed than its daily reality.
Readibility followup Poll
Dennis Doverspike has recently written two great articles [1 2] regarding readability of assessments. If you missed them, make sure to check them out. If you missed the Poll on how your agency handles the topic, please fill it out below:
If your agency does have specific documented policies, please answer the following questions: (more…)