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 Practice On B-PAD Scores
Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of prior B-PAD test-taking experience (practice) on subsequent performance in an actual pre-employment testing situation.
Methodology and Subjects 99 applicants from a single police agency in the San Francisco Bay Area (where more than a dozen agencies utilize B-PAD as a part of their entry-level screening procedure) were administered B-PAD and then asked whether or not they had taken B-PAD previously for another agency. 59 applicants reported never having taken B-PAD before and 40 reported having taken it on at least one prior occasion. The B-PAD Scale 3 (Overall Effectiveness) scores of the two applicant groups were compared. The agency raters who scored the applicant responses were uninformed of the applicantÕs prior test-taking history.
Results The B-PAD Scale 3 scores of applicants with no prior exposure to B-PAD averaged 21.01 (S.D. = 5.39) and the scores of prior B-PAD test-takers averaged 22.04 (S.D. = 4.30). A comparison of means revealed no significant difference in mean scores (t = 1.03, p = .31). Using the agencyÕs qualifying cutoff score of 22.56, 47.5% of practiced applicants passed the B-PAD assessment compared to 45.76% of the non-practiced applicants. Pearson chi-square analysis reveals this difference to be not statistically significant (chi-square = .029, df(1), p = .87).
Conclusion The results support the conclusion that an applicant's performance on B-PAD testing is not significantly improved by prior exposure to B-PAD scenarios or prior B-PAD test-taking experience.
1 A comparison of means revealed no significant difference between the mean scores of practiced and non-practiced applicants (t = .1.03, p = .31).