Fundamentals of Human Resource Management, 4e (Dessler)
Chapter 6 Selecting Employees
1) Hiring workers who have criminal backgrounds without proper safeguards is considered
________.
A) improper screening
B) negligent hiring
C) unreliable testing
D) improper hiring
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Concept
2) For over 40 years, Golden Creamery has been mixing up fresh, gourmet ice cream for
customers. The company originated in Dallas and now boasts stores in 35 states. The business
has primarily expanded by selling franchises to qualified candidates. Golden Creamery
executives realize that the firm’s success depends upon the success of each franchise. In the past,
each individual franchise owner determined the best method for screening applicants. However,
as the firm grows, Golden Creamery executives want to standardize the hiring process by
requiring all franchisees to use the same preemployment tests.
Which of the following, if true, supports the argument that Golden Creamery should require
franchise owners to use the firm’s preemployment tests?
A) Hourly employees at Golden Creamery stores typically remain with the company long
enough to be promoted to management positions.
B) Annual turnover rates for hourly employees of Golden Creamery stores are three times the
rate of comparable businesses.
C) Golden Creamery uses a series of videos to train new hires as well as a mentoring program
that has proven successful in the past.
D) Individuals interested in working at a Golden Creamery store can complete online
applications on the firm’s website.
AACSB: Reflective thinking
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Critical Thinking
1
3) What is the primary goal of employee selection?
A) achieving person-job fit
B) avoiding negligent hiring
C) developing a diverse workforce
D) maintaining valid test scores
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Concept
4) As a manager, what is the most important reason to select employees carefully?
A) meet industry and organizational standards
B) comply with federal and state labor laws
C) improve personal and organizational performance
D) establish a high-performing work system
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Concept
5) Effective employee screening will most likely ________.
A) improve team management skills
B) eliminate negative office politics
C) identify valid and reliable test procedures
D) reduce dysfunctional workplace behaviors
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Concept
2
6) Which of the following questions should most likely be answered by a utility analysis?
A) Does it pay to use the test?
B) Is the test valid and reliable?
C) Does the test comply with the EEOC?
D) Is the test considered infallible?
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Concept
7) Which of the following shows the degree to which using a selection measure improves the
quality of
individuals selected for a job?
A) utility analysis
B) validity score
C) reliability coefficient
D) internal HR audit
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Concept
3
8) Which of the following factors would LEAST likely be needed to conduct a utility analysis of
a firm’s candidate screening process?
A) average test scores of applicants
B) median salaries
C) number of applicants tested
D) testing costs
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Concept
9) A reliable employment test will most likely yield ________.
A) consistent scores when a person takes two alternate forms of the test
B) improved scores when a person takes the same test more than once in a single day
C) high scores when two different people are administered the test at different times
D) similar scores when two different people are administered the test at the same time
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Concept
10) If a person scores a 70 on an intelligence test on one day and scores 110 when retested on
another day, you might conclude that this test is ________.
A) valid
B) reliable
C) unreliable
D) inconsistent
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Application
4
11) If a person scores a 78 on a test on one day and scores a 79 when retested on another day,
you would most likely conclude that the test is ________.
A) valid
B) invalid
C) reliable
D) unreliable
AACSB: Application of knowledge
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Application
12) Which of the following terms refers to the consistency of scores obtained by the same person
when retested with alternate forms of the same test?
A) equivalency
B) expectancy
C) reliability
D) validity
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Concept
13) All of the following are used for estimating reliability of a test EXCEPT ________.
A) retest estimates
B) equivalent form estimates
C) content validity estimates
D) internal comparison estimates
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Concept
5
14) Which of the following describes using a retest estimate to assess reliability?
A) administering a test with x number of items designed to assess a topic and then statistically
analyzing the degree to which responses vary
B) administering the same test to the same people at two different times and comparing their test
scores at time 2 with their scores at time 1
C) administering an employment test to measure the skills an individual needs to perform the job
D) administering a test to a person and then administering an equivalent test at a later time
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Concept
15) ________ is used as an estimate of reliability and involves administering two equivalent tests
and then comparing the two resulting test scores.
A) Equivalent form estimate
B) Retest estimate
C) Internal comparison estimate
D) Criterion validity
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Concept
6
16) Which of the following describes how you would implement an internal comparison estimate
to assess reliability?
A) Administer the same test to the same people at two different points in time and compare their
test scores at time 2 with the scores at time 1.
B) Administer a test with x number of items designed to assess a topic; then statistically analyze
the degree to which responses to the items vary together.
C) Administer different tests to different people and compare test scores of the different people.
D) Administer a test with content based on what a person actually needs to know to do the job in
question well.
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Concept
17) The unreliability of a test would most likely be explained by all of the following EXCEPT
________.
A) poor sampling of question material
B) inconsistent testing conditions
C) failure to predict job performance
D) differences in the test-taker
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Concept
7
18) Which of the following terms refers to the accuracy with which a test fulfills the function for
which it was designed?
A) validity
B) reliability
C) relevancy
D) consistency
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Concept
19) The first step in the validation process is ________.
A) creating a test battery
B) analyzing the job
C) administering tests
D) cross-validating
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Concept
20) What is the final step in the test validation process?
A) averaging test scores
B) analyzing the job
C) publishing the test
D) cross-validating
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Concept
8
21) Demonstrating the content validity of a test can be accomplished by showing that ________.
A) tasks performed on the test are general enough to apply to any type of job
B) scores on the test indicate both internal and external reliability
C) higher test scores are statistically equivalent to proven, long-term job success
D) conditions under which the test is administered resemble the work situation
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Concept
22) According to the American Psychological Association, all of the following are rights of test
takers EXCEPT the right to expect ________.
A) confidentiality of test results
B) tests to be the only selection tools for jobs
C) scores to be interpreted by qualified individuals
D) informed consent regarding the use of test results
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Concept
9
23) For over 40 years, Golden Creamery has been mixing up fresh, gourmet ice cream for
customers. The company originated in Dallas and now boasts stores in 35 states. The business
has primarily expanded by selling franchises to qualified candidates. Golden Creamery
executives realize that the firm’s success depends upon the success of each franchise. In the past,
each individual franchise owner determined the best method for screening applicants. However,
as the firm grows, Golden Creamery executives want to standardize the hiring process by
requiring all franchisees to use the same preemployment tests.
Which of the following questions is most relevant to Golden Creamery’s decision to implement
preemployment testing for all franchises?
A) What is the best way for Golden Creamery to recruit both hourly and salaried employees?
B) How does testing correlate with Golden Creamery’s mission and vision statements?
C) How will Golden Creamery ensure the confidentiality of an applicant’s test results?
D) Should Golden Creamery use internal or external sources for job candidates?
AACSB: Reflective thinking
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Critical Thinking
24) Which of the following assessment methods has the lowest validity?
A) cognitive ability tests
B) job knowledge tests
C) structured interviews
D) personality tests
Chapter: 6
LO: 6.1: Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability.
Skill: Concept
10