Technical Report - International Military Testing Association

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personnel are assigned to jobe the duties of k%lch require rotor nkil.ls
of 8 mre specific nnture thsn those in the previous category. ThCQC
skilile till have usually been acquired in one of tha service achoola, or
in some casea, will hove been poosesscd by the individual upon entry into
the scrvicc. The motor aspect of these skills might contribute oubstantially
to the quality of the performence of their job duties, but
cognitive abilities are of central importance. The ability to smoothly
nanipulate tools, position physical objects, and perform manual movements
in the adjustment or operation of equipment is required, but the evaluation
and diagnosis of the situation requiring these physical skills le a better
determiner of competence. In this erea, the quart ion is vhether tbe
central skills can be musurad adequately oy a written test, or should
some form of performance test such as the performance check list be
made part of :ho total evsluation. This decision must be made by the
test psychologist vorking cooperatively with subject-matter expcrtn in
the epproprlate field. Before arriving at 8 final decision, pertinent
validation data nnd frequently experimental c’cita must be considered.
Various types of repairmen, mechanics, and equipment operaeors are exsmples
of personnel whose jobs are of this nature. -Class -3.
A COFparntlvely
small number of jobs exist in !&ich motor skills appear to be
crucial discriminators between levels of job mastery. These positions
are typified by duties that involve const.ant, rcpctitivc activities that
lend themselves readily to qt;an::itlve and/or quolitatlve measurement.
Horc important than the fact that these job activities are readily
measurable, is the knowledge that studies of pc. formance on the job
compared with scores on the typical wrftten tests have often indicated
that there is little correspondence between the knowledge of vhat to do
and the ability to do the wrk quickly snd accurately. For joba in this
category a completely adequste measurement of job mastery must include a
performance test. Typist and sterographcr are examples of jobs that are
Included in this class.
The decision as to bbether or not the evaluation of a particular job
should include a performace tcet rent6 entirely upon the nature of the
elements of the job and thelr susceptibl~lty to meaaureneet by a written
test. This declslon can be made by the test psychologist only when
complete job analysis lnfornatioa fa available. ‘I’he analysie of the job
provide8 a liar of duties &ich are required for adequate job performance
and must serve as a starting point in the determination of the types of
tests appropriate to constitute a complete evaluation, The actlvftiee
must be defined, analyaed, and elements necessary for job success must be
Isolated. This process involves the dlvialon of the job into its basic
elemental components, a process which some Cestaltisee will find objectionable;
however, if a particular element of a job fs not adequately
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