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ment instruments used throughout the world for employment purposes. In fact, there aren’ t many entry-level positions in the private sector( a. k. a. corporate world) that aren’ t currently using some form of trait assessment as part of their preliminary employment screening processes.
Public safety is no different. Each of the current, widely used instruments has a comprehensive trait assessment section as part of the competitive examination. The response choices vary but are most commonly presented as a 1-5 Likert Scale format with responses along a continuum ranging from Strongly Disagree( 1) to Strongly Agree( 5) or vice versa. The candidate is presented with statements such as,“ I’ m known to change gears quickly,” to which he or she must respond with one of the five available choices to reflect which response the candidate feels best describes him or her.
On the upcoming entry-level civil service exam, each candidate will face 173 separate statements as part of the overall three-hour-and-40-minute test. The trait assessment section is very tricky, and some exceptional and proven, active police candidates throughout the country have performed poorly on this section. The fact that some exceptional candidates score poorly has been recognized as an acceptable, limited, negative consequence of this type of testing in favor of the overall reported positive outcomes related to disparate impact. Simply put, unlike some of the cognitive questions, the trait assessment has been found statistically to have less likelihood of resulting in a disparate impact related to race and gender.
This is not a psychological assessment like the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory™( MMPI) that is commonly administered prior to psychological interviews. That would be illegal under the Americans with Disabilities Act, since a true psychological / medical examination cannot be administered until a candidate has at least received a promise of employment. The trait assessment is actually considered a non-psychopathological, normal personality assessment. It is not designed to diagnose mental illness. Its genesis and scoring design comes directly from comprehensive pilot testing of proven officers in the field who have received high ratings from their immediate supervisors.
Thousands of successful incumbent officers have been surveyed through the years to develop scoring scales and validate the exam. The research has resulted in the identification of the most essential and appropriate traits( e. g. assertiveness) possessed by a successful officer. Ultimately, the trait assessment is designed to go beyond the assessment of the intelligence of a candidate. It is designed to assess whether the candidate also possesses the attitudes, character and traits most likely to result in success in public safety. In theory, it is well founded and completes the profile of an ideal candidate.
When asking the question,“ Can this type of testing be used on a promotional examination?” the quick answer would have to be,“ Yes.” Given the most recent troubles with the police sergeants’ examination, and the inherent ability to manipulate the scoring scales with this type of assessment, one would have to think that it is only a matter of time before trait assessment makes its way to the promotional arena. d
Dr. David A. Paprota, a retired member of Lacey Township Local 238 and retired Chief of Police in Lacey Township, is the Executive Director of Critical Concepts and Strategies( CCS), an entry-level exam preparation company. For more information, visit www. ccstest. com or email info @ ccstest. com.
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NEW JERSEY COPS ■ SEPTEMBER 2016