Ecologically valid assessments are highly appropriate and usually tailored to specific work contexts.įor example, working in a call centre may require certain traits, behaviours or characteristics, however, those characteristics may present themselves very differently in different call centres due to cultural and operational differences.Īn assessment that is high in ecological validity will reflect as much of the specific context in which someone is working within as possible. This is due to the low ecological validity of the test (see next point).Įcological validity is the ability of a test to translate to a specific context or environment. Nevertheless, this does not mean it can definitely translate into your unique work environment. A pre-written, off-the-shelf candidate test will usually have been validated against a diverse, large population in order to confidently say it has strong external validity and can be used in a range of contexts. If your definition of someone with high integrity differs from the test providers then the output will not be particularly valid.Įxternal validity is the ability of a test’s output be generalised into the ‘real world’ or a wider population. The test provider’s definition will have to align perfectly with your own definition for you to get a valid measure of this trait.

Some candidate tests, such as personality questionnaires, have poor construct validity because the traits and characteristics that are being measured, are defined by the test provider and therefore don’t fully align with the employer’s definition.Īn Example: Let’s say you wanted to use a test to measure someone’s integrity. It’s also used to validate that the attribute being measured is important for successful performance at the job. What are the different types of pre-employment test validity?Ĭonstruct validity, sometimes known as “internal validity”, is the ability of a test to actually measure what it claims to. It is usually measured in three ways construct validity, external validity and ecological validity. Ultimately it’s a scientific measure of the question “Can I trust this test?”. Validity refers to both what attribute is being measured by the test, and how accurate a test is at measuring a defined attribute. Tips to check your pre-employment tests are both valid and reliable.What are the different types of pre-employment test reliability?.What are the different types of pre-employment test validity?.These terms are unhelpfully vague so this post aims to give you a much better understanding of the following areas: These measures are especially important in the field of candidate testing where the results have a direct impact on someone’s ability to secure a new job. Test validity and test reliability are measures that ensure pre-employment tests are both fair and accurate.

Test validity and reliability