The selection process should not stress test results to the exclusion of other factors like how the person “comes across” in his interviews, the person’s track record, and what the applicant’s references say.
It is better to use tests as supplement to other techniques like interviews and background checks, instead of relying solely on test results when evaluating a candidate.
In recent years, the public has become more critical of tests and there are certain ethical issues involved in their use as selection devices, including invasion of privacy and the confidentiality of test questions and answers. The limitations and dangers of psychological testing include uncritical use, unfair rejection of applicants, faking of test responses, conformity, and poor quality of test administration. Though tests are very useful, they are not infallible. But in India their usage is limited to some of large established Indian companies and some foreign subsidiaries. The use of psychological tests is widely prevalent in the West. The use of tests in industry today has steadily expanded and testing has definitely earned a place in scientific selection procedure. These advantages are not found in other methods of selection. Psychological tests are useful in selecting people with promotional ability, discovering reasons for job failure based upon personality traits, and even determining susceptibility to accidents. It is difficult to have even a rough estimate of their talent and hidden ability from preliminary interviews or scrutiny of their application blanks. Screening with testing can also reduce the interviewing time and number of applicants substantially when hundreds of candidates have to be screened for various job positions. This is especially true of paper-pencil tests, which could be given to a large number of people simultaneously and can be scored also with equal ease. In most cases the costs of giving tests are not particularly high compared to those involved in interview. Tests have another advantage that they uncover talents and potentials which are not necessarily detected by other selection techniques. Thus, tests provide an objective method that can aid the selection process with lesser probability of biases creeping into the selection procedure.
Generally, it is easier to determine the value of a test than it is to evaluate other selection devices such as interviews, letters of recommendation, etc.Īlso, tests tend to be less subject to bias-particularly tests of aptitude and achievement. Major advantage is that the test is an objective and standardized behaviour sample which lends itself well to statistical evaluation. Psychological tests as a selection technique have certain definite advantages over other methods of selection. Psychological Tests used in Employee Selection: Meaning, Definition, Characteristics, Types, Principles, Advantages and Limitations Psychological Tests used in Employee Selection – Introduction Meaning and Definition of Psychological Tests 3. These are used widely at work in order to ascertain different kinds of information about a person. Psychological tests are most carefully developed instruments, following certain highly standardized and often intricate procedures discovered by the psychologists as a result of long researches.