Introduction to Criterion Validation

Introduction At its heart, the process of validating pre-employment tests is all about amassing evidence demonstrating that a test score is related to a target job in some meaningful fashion that permits distinguishing between those who are likely to perform well from those who are not. As a result, in the truest sense of the word, it is not a test cannot be said to be valid or not valid but rather the conclusions draws from the individual test scores. Validity, therefore, refers to the determination—based on the available evidence—as to whether the test scores serve as an effective a proxy that is indicative of an examinee’s likely success on the job.