The Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures contain provisions on “Method of Use” of selection procedures. These provisions indicate that tests should be used on a ranking, grouping, or pass-fail basis depending on a number of criteria.
This article reviews legal requirements and professional testing standards as they pertain to method of use; describes a trend in merit system cerfitication practices, which represents one method of controlling how test scores are used; provides guidance and procedures which can be used to help decide on the appropriate method of use; provides guidance on the use of score grouping; and gives examples of how to explain grouping to applicants, legislators and others.
The information in this article is a summary of information and concepts presented in a pre-conference workshop on this topic at the 1983 Annual Conference of the International Personnel Management Association Assessment Council.
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