(Xxi)CLERICAL ABILITIES BATTERY

C.

CLERICAL ABILITIES TESTS

(xxi)CLERICAL ABILITIES BATTERY

Author:The Psychological Corporation

Publisher:The Psychological Corporation

555 Academic Court

San Antonio, TX 78204-0952

(800) 211-8378

Publication1987

Date:

Purpose:This test was designed to assess clerical abilities for the use of hiring and promoting clerical personnel.

Population:Clerical applicants and employees and business school students.

Cost:$150.50 per complete kit, including 5 test booklets of each test, 7 keys, and manual.

$46 per 25 test booklets (Filing, Copying Information, Comparing Information, Using Tables, Proofreading, Addition and Subtraction, and Reasoning with Numbers)

$69.50 per set of scoring keys

$34.50 per manual

Time:If all six tests in the battery are given, time can range from 1-2 hours

Filing - 5-20 minutes

Comparing Information - 5-20 minutes

Copying Information - 5-20 minutes

Using Tables - 5-20 minutes

Proofreading - 5-20 minutes

Addition and Subtraction - 5-20 minutes

Reasoning with Numbers - 5-20 minutes

Norms:Norms were taken from 515 individuals, including 145 part time clerical workers and applicants, and 370 business school students. The norms in a table in the manual discuss sex, ethnic origin, age, educational level, and years of clerical experience. 85% of the clerical workers/applicants and 94% of the business students were female, so males were not adequately represented. Development of local norms is advised.

Reliability:Alternate forms reliability coefficients are reported for each of the seven tests, however these numbers are based on a sample of 64 for Form A and 26 for Form B.

Filing - .87

Comparing Information - .77

Copying Information - .90

Using Tables - .82

Proofreading - .90

Addition and Subtraction - .87

Reasoning with Numbers - .93

Validity:Table 8 demonstrates predictive validity by correlating the CAB with the business school grade point averages (n=117) for each of the seven tests.

Filing - .41

Comparing Information - .37

Copying Information - .23

Using Tables - .45

Proofreading - .56

Addition and Subtraction - .43

Reasoning with Numbers - .49

Table 9 demonstrates predictive validity by correlating three CAB tests with the final exam scores for teller trainees (n=23). A larger sample would be more ideal.

Copying Information = .37

Using Tables = .45

Reasoning with Numbers = .37

To establish concurrent validity, the CAB tests were correlated with the General Clerical Test using 90 part time clerical workers. These ranged from .13 to .74.

Test User:Level “A” Personnel , however Form A is available only to human resource departments in business and industry. Form B is available to employment agencies, business and technical schools, vocational training programs, and human resource departments.

Summary/The CAB is quick and easy to administer, and the manual is very easy to read and understand. The validity and reliability tables are clear, but need to be established locally for specific situation and context. Tasks, however, appear to be somewhat repetitive and not necessarily representative of many clerical tasks. There should be caution in realizing that additional normative and validity studies are needed.

(xxii) GENERAL CLERICAL TEST

Author:The Psychological Corporation

Publisher:The Psychological Corporation

555 Academic Court

San Antonio, TX 78204-2498

(800) 211-8378

Publication 1988

Date:

Purpose:This test was developed to assess clerical speed and accuracy, numerical skills, and language related skills.

Population:Clerical applicants and workers

Cost:$48 per Examination Kit, includes one copy of Test Booklet for Clerical, Numerical, and Verbal combined subtests, and Manual

$43.50 per additional manual

$42.50 for a complete set of keys for hand scoring

Time:If all parts of the test are given, the GCT takes approximately one hour.

Clerical Subtest - 7-23 minutes

Numerical Subtest - 7-23 minutes

Verbal Subtest - 7-23 minutes

Norms:The section on norms explains what normative data are and they purpose for which they should be used (the authors think this section, and the validity section would be excellent material for instructors to use in classroom for hands-on applications on test theory and development. Norms were taken from paralegal students, community college trainees, customer service applicants, clerical service positions in public utilities, blue collar and management trainee positions, and multiple levels of clerical tasks in industry, government, and university settings Table 4 of the manual). However, most individuals were female.

Reliability:Test-retest reliability is the only form of reliability provided, from within a four week period The groups included 50 students from a southwestern business school, 51 female students from two northeastern secretarial schools, and 195 seniors enrolled in commercial courses at a New York high school. The average reliabilities are:

Clerical Subtest – .903

Numerical Subtest – .85

Verbal Subtest – .92

Validity:The manual provides extensive validity information and offers examples of content, criterion-related, and concurrent validities. The manual states that the GCT can be used to predict success in jobs, the suitability of a given job for a particular applicant, or assigning an inexperienced person to appropriate work. The test may be more valid in educational settings than in industry, because of the restriction of range for predictor or criterion scores. Local validation is recommended.

Test User:Level “A” Personnel

Summary/The General Clerical Test has shown to be an excellent example of a clerical abilities

Critique:test. The manual is well written, there is major effort toward validity, and this test maintains a good track record of keeping information updated. There is questionable reliability, however, so local norms should be developed.

(xxiii)HAY APTITUDE TEST

Author:Edward N. Hay

Publisher:EF Wonderlic Personnel Test Inc.

820 Frontage Road

Northfield, IL 60093-8007

(800) 323-3742

Publication 1988

Date:

Purpose:This test was designed to help select applicants with the ability to deal accurately with numerical and alphabetical detail and the ability to work with numbers.

Population:Applicants for clerical and plant positions.

Cost:$130 per total battery, includes 25 tests, user’s manual, and scoring key.

$300 per total battery, includes 100 tests, user’s manual, and scoring key.

Time:The entire test takes approximately 15-20 minutes including instruction

Warm-Up Test – 1 minute

Number Perception Test - 4 minutes

Name Finding Test - 4 minutes

Number Series Completion Test - 4 minutes

Norms:Norms are based on a convenience sample (past users of the test battery who returned the results) with a mix of occupations. All other norming information is provided in the manual.

Reliability:No reliabilities are reported for the Warm Up Test.

Test-retest reliability:

Number Perception Test - .85

Split half reliabilities:

Name Finding Test - .94

Number Series Completion Test - .94

Validity:The validity evidence provided in the manual includes chi-square analyses and correlations of scores and salary, performance ratings, and typing volume, even though the sample size was very small (n=21) and the test was given under unstandardized conditions. The manual suggests that this test is highly face valid. Content validity was established by the creation of tests that represent direct work samples found in daily operations.

Criterion related validity

Correlations with tests and performance ratings

• Number Perception Test - .43
• Name Finding Test - .43
• Number Series Completion Test - .55

Correlations with tests and employee ratings

• Number Perception Test - .35
• Name Finding Test - .40
• Number Series Completion Test - .22

Test User:Level “A” Personnel

Summary/The Hay Aptitude Battery is a series of tests that although show high face validity, is

Critique:limited by it’s low level of difficulty. Data suggest that these tests are best used to screen out incompetent applicants rather than to differentiate between applicants with varying degrees of competence. Once again, there is an insistence of development of local norms in order to generalize to a particular organization.

(xxiv)MINNESOTA CLERICAL ASSESSMENT BATTERY

Author:Assessment Systems Corporation

Publisher:Assessment Systems Corporation

2233 University Avenue, Suite 200

St. Paul, MN 55114

Phone: (651) 647-9220

Publication 1995

Date:

Purpose:This test was designed to assess the knowledge and skills that are necessary for a number of different clerical jobs using a personal computer.

Population:Secretaries and other clerical workers.

Cost:User’s Manual alone = $15, but is included in all purchased batteries

Limited Use, Counted (Smaller organizations giving tests on a as-needed basis)

200 tests = $260 (1.30 each)

500 tests = $600 (1.20 each)

1000 tests = $995 (1.00 each)

Unlimited Use, Uncounted (One-time cost with capability of testing any number of applicants)

Single-Machine License

• First Copy = $1,495
• Second Copy = $1,250
• Each Additional Copy = $995

Building License = $5,995

Organization-Wide License = Contact ASC for quote

Time:If all six tests in the battery are given, time can range from 2-4 hours

Typing-Keyboarding Test – no time limit

Proofreading Test – 45 minutes (15 minutes per section)

Filing Test – 25 minutes each for Numerical and Alphabetical sections

Business Vocabulary Test – 25 minutes

Business Math Test – 60 minutes

Clerical Knowledge Test – 25 minutes

Norms:Norms were taken from 368 incumbent clerical workers (187 secretaries, 98 typists, and 83 “generalists”) from six organizations. The sample included 17 males and 346 females. The manual reports “minority representation in the sample was slightly higher than that in the US population”. The norming sample was a convenience sample.

Reliability:Reliabilities were estimated from internal consistency statistics for most of the tests.

Typing-Keyboarding Test - .99, Accuracy estimate - .79

Proofreading Test - .92

Filing Test (Numerical) - .91

Filing Test (Alphabetical) - .90

Filing Test Overall - .95

Business Vocabulary Test - .91

Business Math Test - .87

Clerical Knowledge Test - .80

Validity:There is no real evidence of validity in this test. There is no criterion related evidence that the test scores relate to clerical job performance. There is a weak claim for construct validity in that test scores were higher for norm group members with experience to the clerical content. The only time validity was mentioned was that the tests were developed by taking information from a job analysis to develop the items.

Test User:Level “A” Personnel

Summary/Although the MCAB is easy to administer and score because it is a personal computer

Critique:automated testing package, it can be time consuming. There is a considerable lack of reliability and validity estimates. It can useful in organizations in which the content can be shown to be job relevant, but without a thorough job analysis, the content in the MCAB might not be relevant to every organization.

(xxv) MODERN OCCUPATIONAL SKILLS TEST

Author:Charles Johnson, Steve Blinkhorn, Robert Wood, and Jonathan Hall

Publisher:NFER-Nelson Publishing Co. Australian Council for Educational Research

Darville House 2 Oxford Road9 Frederick St., PO Box 210

East Windsor, Berkshire SL4 1DF EnglandHawthorne 3122, Victoria, Australia

Publication 1989

Date:

Purpose:This test was developed to assess the clerical skills of checking and numeracy, verbal skills, and office administration skills to be used in the recruitment, selection, and development of clerical and related staff.

Population:Potential and current office employees.

Cost:$75.90 per Reference Set, which includes one of each Test Booklet, Administration Guide, Test Taker’s Guide, one Administrator’s Test Record, Task Inventory, Profile Sheet, User’s Guide, and Order form. Does not include score keys.

$14.85 per Test Pack of each test, which consists of 10 expendable Test Booklets, 10 Test Taker’s Guides, and 10 Profile Sheets.

$29.70 per Administrator’s Pack per test, which consists of an Administration Guide, Score Key, Test Booklet, Task Inventory, and Administrator’s Test Record.

Time:Numerical Estimation – 12 minutes

Numerical Awareness – 8 minutes

Numerical Checking – 8 minutes

Technical Checking – 12 minutes

Word Meanings – 12 minutes

Verbal Checking – 8 minutes

Decision Making – 15 minutes

Spelling and Grammar– 8 minutes

Filing – 12 minutes

Norms:Norms were taken from 1,048 school students and 814 college students in England. The norms were described in separate tables according to schools/colleges sampled, geographical area, age (82.9% were 17 and under, 11% were 18, 3.6% were 29, and 2.5% were over 19 years old), ethnic origins, sex, academic levels, qualifications, and job aspirations.

Reliability:The authors believed that reliability is sensitive to score range, so they emphasized the use of the standard error of measurement instead. The authors reported the reliability coefficients of .86 and .75 and standard errors of 2.62 and 2.31. Other data were not available.

Validity:There is weak evidence of construct validity by correlating the Word Meanings, Verbal Checking, Numerical Awareness, and Decision Making tests with the Verbal, Numerical, and Perceptual tests of the AH3 using 32 job applicants for junior clerical jobs. Coefficients ranged from .25 between the MOST Verbal Checking and AH3 Numerical, and .81 between the MOST Numerical Awareness and AH3 Numerical.

Test User:Level “A” Personnel

Summary/The MOST is easy to administer and score, although there is need for more studies

Critique:conducted to determine the predictive validity and other reliability. There is a Task Inventory and Profile sheet administered at the beginning to determine which tests should be used for candidates dependent on their strengths and weaknesses, which is helpful. Caution should be taken into consideration however, for American users, because this test was normed on British samples, so local norms should be developed.

(xxvi) OFFICE SKILLS SERIES

Author:The Morrisby Organisation

Publisher:The Morrisby Organisation

85 High St. Hemel

Hempstead, Herfordshire HP1 3AH England

Publication 1993

Date:

Purpose:This test was designed to measure the basic skills and aptitudes that are required for office and commercial occupations.

Population:Clerical applicants

Cost:₤ 1.55 per candidate (Test booklet and answer sheet combined)

₤ 22.15 per Specimen set

Time:Applicants are given an overall time limit of 30 minutes, and told to manage their time.

Speed and Accuracy - 5 minutes

Arithmetic – 10 minutes

English Usage - 4 minutes

Norms:The test was normed on two groups: clerical workers (n=346) and clerical applicants (n=2,321). The manual does not contain much descriptive information other than age and gender. As expected, the clerical workers obtained higher scores than did the applicants. Users are encouraged to develop their own norms.

Reliability:Split half reliability estimates were computed.

Speed and Accuracy - .949

Arithmetic – .870

English Usage - .915

Validity:PTI = Personnel Tests for Industry-Verbal

CP3 = Saville & Holdsworth CP3

NA = Numerical Alertness

VU = Verbal Usage

RPM = Ravens Progressive Matrices

PTICP3NAVURPM

Speed & Acc..170.408.295.171.435

Arithmetic.515.350.633.359.288

English.521.218.234.367.173

Test User:Level “A” Personnel

Summary/The OSS is a quick method for determining a limited number of specific abilities

Critique:relative to clerical occupations. It is easy to use and complete, but it does possess some flaws, such as using King’s English throughout and using metric terms for measurement and British terms for units of currency. The OSS is correlated with a measure of intelligence, instead of another measure clerical ability. It does not measure a very broad spectrum of skills, so other measures of clerical ability might be of better use.

REFERENCES FOR CLERICAL ABILITY TESTS

Clerical Abilities Battery User’s Manual, pages 17-21

General Clerical Test User’s Manual, pages 3-4

Hay Aptitude Test Battery User’s Manual, pages 21-30

Greg Olson, WONDERLIC, INC., 1795 N. Butterfield Rd., Libertyville, IL 60048-1238, Tel. 800-323-3742, Fax 847-680-9492.

Mental Measurements Yearbook (Online: SilverPlatter Information, Inc.)

Oscar Spurlin, Ph.D., ERGOMETRICS & Applied Personnel Research, Inc., 115 Skyline Drive
Edmonds, WA 98020 U.S.A. Tel. 425-774-5700 Fax 425-774-0829.