Written Test Link-Up

FPSI can work with agencies to ensure that their written tests are appropriate selection devices based upon their job descriptions. FPSI utilizes the Test Validation & Analysis Program™ (TVAP™), which includes two Excel Workbooks that are designed to be used by personnel professionals to aid in developing and validating written tests that address professional standards, the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures (1978), and relevant court cases. The workbooks include macros, surveys, and formulas that address the standards applied in Contreras v. City of Los Angeles (656 F.2d 1267. 9th Cir. 1981) and U.S. v. South Carolina (434 US 1026, 1978).

The TVAP process includes:

• Test Item Survey that can be completed by subject-matter experts to gather validation evidence for written tests (14 questions are included that are designed to address testing standards, the Uniform Guidelines, and concepts derived from test litigation).

• Test Item Survey Workbook (Excel workbook with over 10 programmed sheets) that can be used to input data from the Test Item Survey, tabulate the results, and screen test items for addressing specified test validation criteria.

• Test Analysis Workbook which is used for inputting item Angoff ratings, setting a "critical score," conducting rater reliability and rater panel reliability analyses (and "outlier" raters), importing test score data, conducting item analysis (including point-biserial, item difficulty, and differential item functioning analyses to analyze test item bias), and test-level analyses (including Cronbach's Alpha, Kuder Richardson or KR-21 reliability, mean, standard deviation, classical standard error of measurement, and conditional standard error of measurement), setting a modified Angoff cutoff score using the procedure followed in the U.S. v. South Carolina case, and analyzing the cutoffs for adverse impact using the Fisher Exact statistic and practical significance tests.

FPSI addresses the federal Uniform Guidelines On Employee Selection Procedures.

If you are a representative of an agency interested in upgrading your agency's recruitment process, promotional exams, or physical ability testing, please visit our FPSI contact page.