I__. - International Military Testing Association

Table 1. Weighted Airman Promotion System Factors
FACTOR
SKT Score
PFE Score
Time in Service
Time in Grade
Enlisted Performance Ratings
Awards and Decorations
MAXIMUM PERCENTAGE
POINTS VALUE
100 22%
100 22%
40 9%
60 13%
135 29%
25 5%
TOTAL 460 100%
Each promotion test is revised annually in order to prevent compromise and
keep abreast of technological or procedural changes. The tests are con-
structed using the content validity strategy of test development. Three
sources of information are the foundation of content validity for the tests:
the training standard, which lists the specialty's common duties and tasks;
the occupational analysis data provided by USAFOMS’s own Occupational Analysis
Program, which show the relative importance of tasks performed by job
incumbents; and, most important, the experience and knowledge of the sub-
ject-matter experts (SMEs) brought in to write the tests.
The SMEs are senior NCOs selected from throughout the Air Force on the basis
of their job experience in their respective career fields. "Tests Written by
Airmen for Airmen" is a slogan which accurately sums up the USAFOMS test
development philosophy, because these senior NCOs are the heart of the testwriting
process. They provide the technical expertise and USAFOMS psychologists
provide the psychometric expertise to produce job-relevant and statis-
tically sound tests.
While at USAFOMS, each group of SMEs is assigned a test psychologist to lead
them through the test development process. A quality control psychologist
acts as an additional set of eyes, performing exhaustive and minute scrutiny
of all team output. A group of eight test management psychologists oversees
the test development effort as a whole: identifying testing requirements for
their assigned career fields, closely monitoring all events which may affect
testing, ensuring that qualified SMEs are selected, providing guidance to
test writers, and ultimately assuming overall responsibility for the tests
developed.
SMEs spend from 2 to 6 weeks at USAFOMS, depending on the type of test and
the extent of test revision involved. During this time, their questions are
thoroughly researched and reviewed. Each team member has veto power over
each test item. After the SMEs leave, each test is subjected to an additional
20 steps of quality control. The final product is a camera-ready test
manuscript prepared with computerized photocomposition equipment. The manuscript
is forwarded through the Air Force publications distribution system to
be printed and disseminated worldwide through the network of Air Force test
control officers.
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