Utility

UTILITY

Usefulness of something or some process.

TEST UTILITY

refers to how useful a test is; the practical

value of using a test to aid in decision making.

PSYCHOMETRIC SOUNDNESS

The reliability and validity of a test

INDEX OF RELIABILITY

About how consistently a test

measures what it measures.

INDEX OF VALIDITY

About whether a test measures

what it purports to measure.

INDEX OF UTILITY

About the practical value of the

information derived from scores on the test.

COST

One of the most basic elements in any utility

analysis is the financial cost of the selection device.

UTILITY ANAL,YSIS

Defined as a family of techniques that entail a

cost-benefit analysis.

● Designed to yield information relevant to a decision

about the usefulness and/or practical value of a tool

of assessment.

TAYLOR-RUSSELL TABLES

Provide an estimate of the extent to which inclusion

of a particular test in the selection system will

improve selection.

SELECTION RATIO

Numerical value that reflects the

relationship between the no. of people

to be hired & the no. of people available

to be hired.

BASE RATE

Refers to the percentage of people

hired under the existing system for a

particular position.

NAYLOR-SHINE TABLES

Entails obtaining the difference between the means

of the selected & unselected groups to derive an

index of what the test (or some other tool of

assessment) is adding to the already established

procedure.

THE BROGDEN-CRONBACH-GLESER FORMULA

The independent work of Hubert E. Brogden (1949)

and a team of decision theorists (Cronbach &

Gleser, 1965).

● Used to calculate the dollar amount of a utility gain

resulting from the use of a particular selection

instrument under specified conditions.

UTILITY GAIN

Refers to an estimate of the

benefit (monetary or otherwise) of using a

particular test or selection method.

PRODUCTIVITY GAIN

Refers to an estimated

increase in work output.

Cutoff score

A reference point derived as a result of a judgement

and used to divide a set of data into two or more

classifications.

RELATIVE CUT SCORE

May be defined as a reference point – in a

distribution of test scores used to divide a set

of data into 2 or more classifications – that is

set based on norm-related considerations

rather than on the relationship of test scores to

a criterion

○ This type of cut score is set with reference to a

performance of a group

FIXED CUT SCORE

Defined as a reference point – in a

distribution of test scores used to divide a set

of data into 2 or more classifications –

typically set with reference to a judgement

concerning a minimum level of proficiency.

MULTIPLE CUT SCORE

Refers to the use of two or more cut scores

with reference to one predictor for the

purpose of categorizing test takers.

ANGOFF METHOD

Can be applied to personnel selection tasks as well

as to questions regarding the presence or absence

of a particular trait, attribute, or ability.

KNOWN GROUPS METHOD

● Also referred to as the method of contrasting

groups.

● Entails collection of data on the predictor of

interest from a group known to possess, and not

to possess, a trait, attribute, or ability of interest.

● A cut score is set on the test that best

discriminates the two groups’ test performance

ITEM-MAPPING METHOD

Entails the arrangement of

items in a histogram, with

each column in the histogram

containing items deemed to

be of equivalent value.

BOOKMARK METHOD

Use of this method begins

with the training of experts

with regard to the minimal

knowledge, skills, and/or

abilities (KSA) that test takers

should have in order to pass”