Test Construction & Validation
The B-PAD Testing Procedure and Scoring
1. The Validity of B-PAD as a Measure of Problem-Solving Skills
2. The Validity of B-PAD as a Measure of Interpersonal Skills
3. The Validity of B-PAD as a Measure of Expected Job Performance
4. B-PAD and Adverse Impact On Women & Minorities
5. The Effect of Job Experience On B-PAD Scores
6. The Effect of Practice On B-PAD Scores
7. B-PAD's Correlation With Observed Competencies in the Police Academy
8. The Validity of B-PAD as a Measure of Supervision & Management Skills
9. The Validity of B-PAD as a Measure of Ability to Function As Part of a Team
10. The Effect of Fire/EMS Job Experience on B-PAD Scores
The Effect of Job Experience On B-PAD Scores
Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study was to determine whether applicants with experience in police work score higher on B-PAD compared to non-experienced applicants. Since B-PAD is intended to be a test of non-technical competence, it was hypothesized that there would be no significant differences between these two groups of applicants.
Methodology and Subjects The B-PAD Scale 3 (Overall Effectiveness) scores of 34 experienced applicants from a single police agency were compared with those of 51 non-experienced applicants from the same agency. None of the applicants had received background or psychological screening prior to B-PAD testing. All scores were determined by the agency's trained raters in the normal course of the agency's assessment process. The 34 experienced officers ranged in age from 21 to 43 years (mean age = 27.8 years) and had an average of 3.96 years of experience. The 51 non-experienced applicants ranged in age from 20 to 44 years (mean age = 29.6). They were judged to be non-experienced by the fact that they had neither academy training nor law enforcement job experience.
Results The B-PAD Overall Effectiveness scores of experienced applicants averaged 22.10 (S.D. = 4.04) and the scores of non-experienced applicants averaged 21.44 (S.D. = 5.80). A comparison of means revealed no significant differences between these two mean scores (t = .581, p = .56). Pearson correlation analysis of B-PAD scores and length of experience in years revealed no linear relationship (r = .13, p > .10).
Conclusion The results show that B-PAD Overall Effectiveness scores are not a function of job experience. Thus, non-experienced, entry-level applicants may expect to score as well on B-PAD as applicants with experience.