Greetings to all,
From Wilkipedia:
A norm-referenced test / NRT is a type of test, assessment, or evaluation which yields an estimate of the position of the tested individual in a predefined population, with respect to the trait being measured. This estimate is derived from the analysis of test scores and possibly other relevant data from a sample drawn from the population. [1] The term "normative assessment" refers to the process of comparing one test-taker to his or her peers.[
I will attempt a simple, high level explanation of how norm referenced are created and used.
What that means is the test has been adminstered to large enough sample of a group, ie, Emiraiti Nationals, or UAE Expats, or First language French, etc, to obtain a data that can be analyzed with statistical tools, to obtain a frequency distribution, or what is often called the "bell curve"
Stats like mean, mode, standard deviation, ( and a few more) are used to come with the norms for the said group.
Now you have the basis upon which to compare a current test taker on a particular scale of the test, say extroversion, again the norms for his/her peer group.
The results for the individual are COMPARED against the norm group for how he/she scored in that comparision.
For example, if a candidate is rated high on extroversion on a norm referenced test, then that person is likely to be more inclined to prefer alot of personal interaction as opposed to someone whose focus may be more task oriented.
How might this be valuable in recruitment? Here is a hypothetical case.
Lets say I score very low on extroversion and I am being recruited for as a sales person who has to meet new people all the time and in new or unfamiliar situations. I may find that quite a challenging function of my work, as opposed to the person who enjoys alot of personal interaction and has little difficulty in meeting strangers. Given other traits on which I am measured, I might not be the best fit for the sales person and there there may be a candidate whose personality perferences make him more likely to perform well in that situation.
What I just outlined is a bit simplistic, but I hope you get the idea.
You migh say well, is the test enough upon which to make the selection for sales person?
The answer is NO...psychometric tests are not designed to be used as the sole criterion upon which you make a high stakes decision. Therefore, assessment center activities often include a face to face interview where the candidate is evaluated for relevant BEHAVIORAL indicators of the competency you are looking for, and often are subjected to other tools, like a group interaction, or a simulation or a role play.
Psychometric testing is just one tool to use, and never as a stand alone for recruitment.
Lastly, it has been said that Arabian Assessment instruments are solely ipsative in nature; they is not the case. If you contact them, they will be happy to discuss the various norm groups that are available against which your candidates can be measured
I use the instruments avialable with AA and my clients are satisfied with the overall assessment results obtained, provided of course, you enploy other assessment techniques and use qualified assessors to perform the tasks involved.
Please feel free to contact me individually if you want to discuss the value of testing and the proper use of psychometric tools
Regards,
From United Arab Emirates, Dubai
7From Wilkipedia:
A norm-referenced test / NRT is a type of test, assessment, or evaluation which yields an estimate of the position of the tested individual in a predefined population, with respect to the trait being measured. This estimate is derived from the analysis of test scores and possibly other relevant data from a sample drawn from the population. [1] The term "normative assessment" refers to the process of comparing one test-taker to his or her peers.[
I will attempt a simple, high level explanation of how norm referenced are created and used.
What that means is the test has been adminstered to large enough sample of a group, ie, Emiraiti Nationals, or UAE Expats, or First language French, etc, to obtain a data that can be analyzed with statistical tools, to obtain a frequency distribution, or what is often called the "bell curve"
Stats like mean, mode, standard deviation, ( and a few more) are used to come with the norms for the said group.
Now you have the basis upon which to compare a current test taker on a particular scale of the test, say extroversion, again the norms for his/her peer group.
The results for the individual are COMPARED against the norm group for how he/she scored in that comparision.
For example, if a candidate is rated high on extroversion on a norm referenced test, then that person is likely to be more inclined to prefer alot of personal interaction as opposed to someone whose focus may be more task oriented.
How might this be valuable in recruitment? Here is a hypothetical case.
Lets say I score very low on extroversion and I am being recruited for as a sales person who has to meet new people all the time and in new or unfamiliar situations. I may find that quite a challenging function of my work, as opposed to the person who enjoys alot of personal interaction and has little difficulty in meeting strangers. Given other traits on which I am measured, I might not be the best fit for the sales person and there there may be a candidate whose personality perferences make him more likely to perform well in that situation.
What I just outlined is a bit simplistic, but I hope you get the idea.
You migh say well, is the test enough upon which to make the selection for sales person?
The answer is NO...psychometric tests are not designed to be used as the sole criterion upon which you make a high stakes decision. Therefore, assessment center activities often include a face to face interview where the candidate is evaluated for relevant BEHAVIORAL indicators of the competency you are looking for, and often are subjected to other tools, like a group interaction, or a simulation or a role play.
Psychometric testing is just one tool to use, and never as a stand alone for recruitment.
Lastly, it has been said that Arabian Assessment instruments are solely ipsative in nature; they is not the case. If you contact them, they will be happy to discuss the various norm groups that are available against which your candidates can be measured
I use the instruments avialable with AA and my clients are satisfied with the overall assessment results obtained, provided of course, you enploy other assessment techniques and use qualified assessors to perform the tasks involved.
Please feel free to contact me individually if you want to discuss the value of testing and the proper use of psychometric tools
Regards,
From United Arab Emirates, Dubai
Hi Bindu,
we are a company providing online psychometric tests to more than 3000companies across the globe,if you are interested in trying some of our tests for free , please visit our site Psychometric test & Psychometric testing powered by E-testing with asia.centraltest.com, The leader in online psychometric testing and register for our no stsrings attached free trail offer alternatively you can write to me directly if you have nay personalized assessment needs.
regards,
MAry
From India, Hyderabad
we are a company providing online psychometric tests to more than 3000companies across the globe,if you are interested in trying some of our tests for free , please visit our site Psychometric test & Psychometric testing powered by E-testing with asia.centraltest.com, The leader in online psychometric testing and register for our no stsrings attached free trail offer alternatively you can write to me directly if you have nay personalized assessment needs.
regards,
MAry
From India, Hyderabad
Mary,
I took a look at your BF5, description. Is there is technical manual available to look at your validity and reliabilty information. I would be interested in the methods used for determining reliability.
I would also like to be to review the normative information on this instrument.
Regards,
Bruncha
From United Arab Emirates, Dubai
I took a look at your BF5, description. Is there is technical manual available to look at your validity and reliabilty information. I would be interested in the methods used for determining reliability.
I would also like to be to review the normative information on this instrument.
Regards,
Bruncha
From United Arab Emirates, Dubai
Hello....just wanted to convey that the example provided below for an ipsative test is incorrect. In addition, the assertion that Arabian Assessment only offer Ipsative tests is also wrong.
So firstly, whilst you are correct to state that Ipsative testing is about self-referencing...it is not where we offer a candidate to rate themselves from 1 to 7. Rating scales such as these form NORMATIVE tests. It is only where the candidate is forced to choose from a number of statements which is more or less like them or which they prefer and do not prefer etc (ranking not rating) that we can say an ipsative test is being used.
The tests offered by Arabian Assessment are ALL normative tests. My guess is that the contributor to this article is related to the (misinformed) competition and is trying to misinform others about Arabian Assessment.
From Hong Kong, Chai Wan
So firstly, whilst you are correct to state that Ipsative testing is about self-referencing...it is not where we offer a candidate to rate themselves from 1 to 7. Rating scales such as these form NORMATIVE tests. It is only where the candidate is forced to choose from a number of statements which is more or less like them or which they prefer and do not prefer etc (ranking not rating) that we can say an ipsative test is being used.
The tests offered by Arabian Assessment are ALL normative tests. My guess is that the contributor to this article is related to the (misinformed) competition and is trying to misinform others about Arabian Assessment.
From Hong Kong, Chai Wan
Dear Mr./Ms. Psy news,
First of all thank you for correcting me on that notion, which i hope this message corrects though it would be wrong to state that i have posted that on a notion that i am related to one party or the other, but the information i posted with regards to Ipsative Vs. Normative assessments is reliable and i stand by it. and by the way i am not related to any party because i use a lot of varied products including ipsative assessments and from various suppliers. I do not see grounds for an argument here except for the matter of the Arabian Assessments which i consider a mistake committed due to a certain mix uo with products (mix up between Psytech and another company and their representatives in the middle east), but all what i was trying to highlight in the captioned quote is that Ipsative assessments are not to be used in a hiring situation as they could be easily manipulated, and i do not know if you agree with me on them, but for developmental uses i do not see a reason why they can not be used. and i guess if you see the name of the party being interviewed and who shared that caption then i guess you would agree with me that it is reliable.
Thank you very much for your post,
Best regards,
Feras
From United Arab Emirates, Dubai
First of all thank you for correcting me on that notion, which i hope this message corrects though it would be wrong to state that i have posted that on a notion that i am related to one party or the other, but the information i posted with regards to Ipsative Vs. Normative assessments is reliable and i stand by it. and by the way i am not related to any party because i use a lot of varied products including ipsative assessments and from various suppliers. I do not see grounds for an argument here except for the matter of the Arabian Assessments which i consider a mistake committed due to a certain mix uo with products (mix up between Psytech and another company and their representatives in the middle east), but all what i was trying to highlight in the captioned quote is that Ipsative assessments are not to be used in a hiring situation as they could be easily manipulated, and i do not know if you agree with me on them, but for developmental uses i do not see a reason why they can not be used. and i guess if you see the name of the party being interviewed and who shared that caption then i guess you would agree with me that it is reliable.
Thank you very much for your post,
Best regards,
Feras
From United Arab Emirates, Dubai
To Avoid a Mix up due to the Post above this is the original post i have posted and which formed an argument:
Ipsative versus Normative Assessments
Everyone involved in the marketing, sale or support of Profiles products must be entirely conversant with the points made here in an interview with Dr. P. A. Lindley, a well-established and respected assessment specialist and a member of the British Psychological Society:
Mr. Creelman: “...Myers Briggs is the test everybody knows, but at the same time experts say don't use it in recruitment. What can personality tests do for us in recruitment?”
Dr. Lindley: “Certainly I'd agree that Myers-Briggs should not be used for selection. The people who developed publish and market Myers-Briggs would also stress that. It isn't a tool for selection; rather it's a tool for personal development. It can be used in groups to help individuals understand one another but it's certainly not a selection test.
“For selection, you want to rule out tests that are just referring to yourself rather than comparing you to a larger population. Anything that talks about how you are better at one thing than another, but doesn't compare you to the outside world, isn't helpful. The technical term for these types of tests is Ipsative tests. An Ipsative test would ask: ‘Which do you prefer, being in control or being active?’ You might like both or you might hate both and you may say you would like to be in control even though you might actually prefer to be active. You might be operating at a very low level or a very high level but all Ipsative tests tell you is which one you prefer rather than how that preference compares to the other candidates.”
Ipsative assessments use the “self” as the standard for comparison. In example, “You report that you are more assertive than you are social.” There is no basis for comparison between your scores and any other scores.
With normative assessments, your scores are compared with a specific population. In example, “Your assertive scores are as high, or higher, than 85% of the working population.”
a normative assessment overcomes the shortcomings of Ipsative tools. it compares the assessed candidate to two key audiences in the ‘outside world’ referred to by Dr. Lindley above:
From United Arab Emirates, Dubai
Ipsative versus Normative Assessments
... “must-know” knowledge for all HIRING PROFESSIONALS
The following extract was taken from an interview in July 2005. It outlines a point we all make frequently on why DISC-type tools like Myers-Briggs, Thomas and other Ipsative assessments (the largest class of assessments you are likely to encounter in competitive situations) offer us no competition in a hiring situation.
The following extract was taken from an interview in July 2005. It outlines a point we all make frequently on why DISC-type tools like Myers-Briggs, Thomas and other Ipsative assessments (the largest class of assessments you are likely to encounter in competitive situations) offer us no competition in a hiring situation.
Everyone involved in the marketing, sale or support of Profiles products must be entirely conversant with the points made here in an interview with Dr. P. A. Lindley, a well-established and respected assessment specialist and a member of the British Psychological Society:
Mr. Creelman: “...Myers Briggs is the test everybody knows, but at the same time experts say don't use it in recruitment. What can personality tests do for us in recruitment?”
Dr. Lindley: “Certainly I'd agree that Myers-Briggs should not be used for selection. The people who developed publish and market Myers-Briggs would also stress that. It isn't a tool for selection; rather it's a tool for personal development. It can be used in groups to help individuals understand one another but it's certainly not a selection test.
“For selection, you want to rule out tests that are just referring to yourself rather than comparing you to a larger population. Anything that talks about how you are better at one thing than another, but doesn't compare you to the outside world, isn't helpful. The technical term for these types of tests is Ipsative tests. An Ipsative test would ask: ‘Which do you prefer, being in control or being active?’ You might like both or you might hate both and you may say you would like to be in control even though you might actually prefer to be active. You might be operating at a very low level or a very high level but all Ipsative tests tell you is which one you prefer rather than how that preference compares to the other candidates.”
Ipsative assessments use the “self” as the standard for comparison. In example, “You report that you are more assertive than you are social.” There is no basis for comparison between your scores and any other scores.
With normative assessments, your scores are compared with a specific population. In example, “Your assertive scores are as high, or higher, than 85% of the working population.”
a normative assessment overcomes the shortcomings of Ipsative tools. it compares the assessed candidate to two key audiences in the ‘outside world’ referred to by Dr. Lindley above:
- The general working population as represented by a sample of more than 140,000 assessment takers that form part of the validation and reliability studies
- The population of “top performers” in the position that the person is applying for in the form of the concurrent pattern developed from these top performers’ results.
From United Arab Emirates, Dubai
A normative assessment is one in which the candidate is measured against the normal population. You may be familiar with a Normal Distribution Curve, opposite. This is the bell shaped curve which describes many natural phenomena. 68% of the population in the sample will score in the 4, 5, 6, 7 range; while 16% will score 1, 2 or 3 and the other 16% 8, 9 or 10.
Ipsative literally means "of the self" (Latin derivation), and is used in psychology as in the phrase "ipsative measure" to indicate that the measure was a self-reporting measure.
Examples of ipsative measures include questions that ask the participant to rate their preferences, or to give a score between 1 and 7 indicating how they feel about a particular statement.
In education, "ipsative assessment" is the practice of assessing present performance against the prior performance of the person being assessed. In athletics for example, a "personal best" is an ipsative assessment.
These different types of assessments become very important when selecting what type of assessment to use in a particular situation.
Ipsative type assessments should not be used in recruitment. According to experts in this field, companies should avoid using tools that talk about how a candidate is better at one thing than another. They do not compare the candidate to the outside world and are therefore not providing useful decision making information for recruitment.
Last edited by feras; 15-05-2008 at 01:27 AM.
From United Arab Emirates, Dubai
Ipsative literally means "of the self" (Latin derivation), and is used in psychology as in the phrase "ipsative measure" to indicate that the measure was a self-reporting measure.
Examples of ipsative measures include questions that ask the participant to rate their preferences, or to give a score between 1 and 7 indicating how they feel about a particular statement.
In education, "ipsative assessment" is the practice of assessing present performance against the prior performance of the person being assessed. In athletics for example, a "personal best" is an ipsative assessment.
These different types of assessments become very important when selecting what type of assessment to use in a particular situation.
Ipsative type assessments should not be used in recruitment. According to experts in this field, companies should avoid using tools that talk about how a candidate is better at one thing than another. They do not compare the candidate to the outside world and are therefore not providing useful decision making information for recruitment.
Last edited by feras; 15-05-2008 at 01:27 AM.
From United Arab Emirates, Dubai
I exactly said:
Examples of ipsative measures include questions that ask the participant to rate their preferences, or to give a score between 1 and 7 indicating how they feel about a particular statement.
in a sense:
Kindly rate the following 7 statements from the one that most describes you to the one that least describes you 1 being most like you and 7 being least like you. and over here we are comparing the trait to another trait and not to a norm group which makes it ipsative, regardless of the amount of statements or descriptions they have to compare themselves to, so the self is the bench mark here and not a trarget population.
and as well forced choices are used in certain normative tests and they are not just used in ipsative ones.
From United Arab Emirates, Dubai
Examples of ipsative measures include questions that ask the participant to rate their preferences, or to give a score between 1 and 7 indicating how they feel about a particular statement.
in a sense:
Kindly rate the following 7 statements from the one that most describes you to the one that least describes you 1 being most like you and 7 being least like you. and over here we are comparing the trait to another trait and not to a norm group which makes it ipsative, regardless of the amount of statements or descriptions they have to compare themselves to, so the self is the bench mark here and not a trarget population.
and as well forced choices are used in certain normative tests and they are not just used in ipsative ones.
From United Arab Emirates, Dubai
Hi,
There is just one and only one rule to decided whether a test is IPSATIVE or NORMATIVE and that is
IF THE SCORES ON THE DIMENSIONS (FACTORS) OF THE TEST ARE COMPARED (and comparable) TO A REFERENCE GROUP, THE TEST IS NORMATIVE.
IF THE SCORES ON THE DIMENSIONS (FACTORS) OF THE TEST ARE COMPARED (and comparable) WITHIN INDIVIDUAL,S OWN SCORES, THE TEST IS IPSATIVE.
an ideal example for IPSATIVE test is Belbin` Team Role Instrument as it assesses the RELATIVE DOMINANCE of 8 roles.
an ideal example for NORMATIVE test is 16PF.
MBTI is an IPSATIVE test as it does not compare individuals with any reference group.....but if you just make the database of all scores on E,I,S,N,T,F,J and P and their various combination.....you can have a reference group to compare with (though it will be theoritically incorrect to do that...and that would not yield any practical result).
The format of question does not decide whether a test in normative or ipsative.....but it definitely have an impact on whether a test can be used normatively or not. For example, ordinal scales can not be the base for normative tests (example Belbin`s Team Role).
Regards,
From India, Hyderabad
There is just one and only one rule to decided whether a test is IPSATIVE or NORMATIVE and that is
IF THE SCORES ON THE DIMENSIONS (FACTORS) OF THE TEST ARE COMPARED (and comparable) TO A REFERENCE GROUP, THE TEST IS NORMATIVE.
IF THE SCORES ON THE DIMENSIONS (FACTORS) OF THE TEST ARE COMPARED (and comparable) WITHIN INDIVIDUAL,S OWN SCORES, THE TEST IS IPSATIVE.
an ideal example for IPSATIVE test is Belbin` Team Role Instrument as it assesses the RELATIVE DOMINANCE of 8 roles.
an ideal example for NORMATIVE test is 16PF.
MBTI is an IPSATIVE test as it does not compare individuals with any reference group.....but if you just make the database of all scores on E,I,S,N,T,F,J and P and their various combination.....you can have a reference group to compare with (though it will be theoritically incorrect to do that...and that would not yield any practical result).
The format of question does not decide whether a test in normative or ipsative.....but it definitely have an impact on whether a test can be used normatively or not. For example, ordinal scales can not be the base for normative tests (example Belbin`s Team Role).
Regards,
From India, Hyderabad
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