[IPAC-List] Does the day you take an oral exam matter? - Killing the Messenger

[Dennis Doverspike]

OK, you have me on my soapbox.

In our society, there also seems to be a real distrust, perhaps even hatred,
of testing. For me, the scary part is that as a result of the expansion of
standardized testing in the schools, this distrust of testing is now being
taught by teachers to their elementary school classes. Thus, from an early
age, students often hear that standardized tests are tricky, or unfair, and
that there are ways to beat the test.

The negative perception of testing is not limited to teachers or the media,
it is shared by many psychologists. If you do not believe me, walk into an
Introduction to Psychology class when testing or intelligence testing is
being covered. 

Thus, I fear the distrust of standardized testing, will only get worse.
Given that environment, I think we, as assessment professionals, can take at
least pride in the fact that the majority of people seem to report being
satisfied with the employment testing experience. There may be those who
complain, but overall applicants appear to respond positively to
well-designed assessments.

Dennis Doverspike, Ph.D., ABPP
Professor of Psychology
Director, Center for Organizational Research
Senior Fellow of the Institute for Life-Span Development and Gerontology
Psychology Department
University of Akron
Akron, Ohio  44325-4301
330-972-8372 (Office)
330-972-5174 (Office Fax)
ddoverspike at uakron.edu

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-----Original Message-----
From: ipac-list-bounces at ipacweb.org [mailto:ipac-list-bounces at ipacweb.org]
On Behalf Of Brull, Harry
Sent: Wednesday, April 01, 2009 3:29 PM
To: Reed, Elizabeth; ipac-list at ipacweb.org
Subject: Re: [IPAC-List] Does the day you take an oral exam matter?

I have heard this occasionally (particularly in the past). One of the
bases for the perception is that candidate's who appear later have more
access (real or perceived) to information which helps them prepare.
By the way, the best antidote for structured orals is to give all
candidates sample questions on the front end. That way, all candidates
have time to prepare - no matter what day they appear.
For role-play exercises, one solution is to change scenarios every day
(or use random scenario assignment throughout the process). Then
standard score each scenario.
Using these two methods, I've not ever heard the complaint.
The proofs-in-the-pudding argument is to analyze scores by day and see
if there is any upward trend. The danger with this after-the-fact
analysis is "What do you do if it turns out to be true?"

Harry Brull


Harry Brull
Senior Vice President
Personnel Decisions International-PDI Minneapolis
Expert Partners. Real Leadership Advantage.
Suite 4900
33 South sixth Street 
Minneapolis, Minnesota  55402
Direct :612-337-8233    fax: 612-337-3695
harry.brull at personneldecisions.com

www.personneldecisions.com


-----Original Message-----
From: ipac-list-bounces at ipacweb.org
[mailto:ipac-list-bounces at ipacweb.org] On Behalf Of Reed, Elizabeth
Sent: Wednesday, April 01, 2009 10:47 AM
To: 'ipac-list at ipacweb.org'
Subject: [IPAC-List] Does the day you take an oral exam matter?

IPAC members and friends:

The City of Columbus utilizes oral exams in all of our promotional
testing for both police and fire.  These oral exams usually consist of
either two role-play exercises or one role-play exercise and one
structured interview.  Depending on the number of candidates, these
exams can take up to six full days to administer.  Over the years,
candidates have complained about being assigned on either the first day
of testing or the last day of testing.  The candidates' perception is
that the day of the exam makes a difference in the score that they
receive.  Questions for you:

Is this a common perception?  Is anyone aware of studies conducted to
analyze this?  What do you believe would be the best approach to study
this situation?

Thank you,
Liz Reed

Elizabeth A. Reed
Police and Fire Assessment Supervisor
Columbus Civil Service Commission
750 Piedmont Rd.
Columbus, Ohio 43224
Office: (614) 645-6032 Fax: (614) 645-0866
Email: Ereed1 at columbus.gov


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