TEST ADMINISTRATION
not to tell others about the tests, because when their turn
comes to be tested they will then come already prepared and
will be able to score higher than he did. The examiner will,
however, be under no illusions as to the effectiveness of these
injunctions. He must make provision through alternative
forms or otherwise, for control of this complicating factor of
fore-knowledge.
In general these remarks hold good for group testing also.
The examiner will be on the alert to prevent cheating, but
should not exercise such conspicuous supervision as to cause
nervousness. He should make the usual announcement,
warning all against allowing their neighbors to see their
papers, lest they lower their own relative standing. No
talking is permitted during a test, but there may be a brief
period of relaxation between tests.
Not more than an hour at a time should be given to test-
ing, unless the subjects cannot be brought together again.
Workers often request the examiner to give them their
scores or to tell them their weak points. A policy in this
regard should be adopted and adhered to. It is safest to tell
the score to no one but the person examined, and then only
if data enough are at hand to enable the examiner to state
the score in terms of relative rank, such as “in the top quar-
ter” or “in the lower half.” If it is impossible or inadvisable
to give out any test scores, one answer to the request is that
the whole investigation is as yet in the experimental stage,
and the individual’s score is not significant until standards
of comparison have been secured. The ground for such an
answer should have been prepared in the introductory talk.
When the data are gathered, not by examining employees
already on the job but by giving the examination to new
employees at time of hiring, many of the inconveniences and
difficulties here listed are not encountered. On this acount
some industries have preferred to use such a procedure in
spite of the fact that several years may be required for
the accumulation of a sufficient number of cases and suffi-
ciently reliable criteria of actual success on the job.
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