I Choose You: HR & Standardized Testing Scores
Furthering my previous blog entry on the topic of HR professionals using psychological testing, I would like to jump into the topic of HR professionals using test results from school-related standardized tests.
There is a rather larger discussion around academic standardized tests and their predictive ability for future performance in graduate school. But, it appears as though this information may also be of interest to employers not just from recent graduates, but even years later for senior job positions [1]. According to a Wall Street Journal article by Melissa Korn, many companies ask for SAT, ACT or other academic standardized test scores, companies such as Bain & Co., McKinsey & Co., Goldman Sachs Group Inc., to name a few [1].
The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is a standardized test taken in high school and is typically used in college/university admission decisions. It scores the dimensions of writing, math, and critical reading. Is this really that surprising?
Recently I was watching a Tedx Talk given by Nathan Kuncel, a psychology professor, entitled “Do Standardized Tests Matter?” in which he presents data from meta-analyses he conducted along with colleagues Hezlett and Ones. The finding was that cognitive abilities are generalizable, valid predictors for not only academic and vocational areas but for career potential and creativity evaluations as well [3]. This shows the importance of general cognitive abilities. For high complexity jobs they also found that in fact, test results are a better predictor than for low complexity jobs [4]. Some companies do set importance on particular sections, for example on the math section [1]. This makes a lot of sense for the companies where such a skill is required or highly used for a particular job position.
But why do HR professionals ask for these scores, actually? According to the article by The Wall Street Journal, they are used as “a standard measure of “the basic building blocks of success,” such as critical thinking, problem-solving skills and quantitative abilities.” [1]. HR professionals and the field of industrial psychology seem to understand the importance of general cognitive abilities and their potential for prediction of future performance. Secondly, many HR professionals “believe SATs and other college entrance exams like the ACT help when comparing candidates with differing backgrounds or figuring out whether someone has the raw brainpower required for the job.” [1] This approach makes sense for job applicants with little work experience. It gives the HR professional an extra detail of information about your potential. For senior position applicants, I believe the scores must be more a question related to skill than potential.
But, the Wall Street Journal article also states that “Putting too much stock in standardized tests can put minority candidates at a disadvantage”, notably for low SES. Many people believe a low SES person will already be disadvantaged going into the SAT exam. Again, Kuncel contradicts this finding with a study that found no significant difference in relationship between test results and academic performance when controlling for SES effects [4]. Social class doesn’t explain why standardized tests are so predictive of future performance. Tests are not acting as barrier from getting into university, and they shouldn’t for job positions either [4].
It would be interesting to compare predictive ability of standardized test scores versus more specific psychological test scores for various job positions — for example, is general cognitive ability or personality better predictive of performance in a senior consulting position?
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For an assignment in PSYC406 Psychological Tests at McGill University.
Watch the Tedx Talk given by Kuncel:
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References
[1] Korn, Melissa. “Job Hunting? Dig Up Those Old SAT Scores.” WSJ. 25 Mar. 2014. Web. 19 Mar. 2016. <http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303636404579395220334268350>.
[2] Bobrowski, Aleksandra. “I Choose You: HR & Psychological Testing” Web log post. Medium. 1 Feb. 2016. Web. <https://medium.com/psyc-406-2016/i-choose-you-hr-psychological-testing-b675700b7b7d#.e394tsviw>.
[3] Kuncel, Nathan R., Sarah A. Hezlett, and Deniz S. Ones. “Academic Performance, Career Potential, Creativity, and Job Performance: Can One Construct Predict Them All?” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 86.1 (2004): 148–61. Web. 19 Mar. 2016. <http://images.pearsonassessments.com/Images/dotCom/milleranalogies/pdfs/MAT_Meta-Analysis.pdf>.
[4] TEDx Talks. “Do Standardized Tests Matter?” Online video clip. Youtube. YouTube, 16 Jun. 2014. Web. 19 Mar. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gv_Cr1a6rj4>.
