Sex Differences on U . S . Air Force Pilot Selection Tests

The study of sex and ethnic group differences is an important issue in the evaluation of personnel measurement instruments. Several principles must be considered when addressing the measurement of group differences including whether the selection instruments measure the same factors for all groups (i.e., factorial invariance), group mean score differences, and differential validity. Federal guidelines prohibit the use of personnel selection tests that show test bias. Evidence of differential prediction is accepted as evidence of test bias. Several recent U. S. Air Force (USAF) studies of sex differences on pilot selection tests and training performance are reviewed. The issues addressed include invariance of factor structure for selection tests, mean score differences, acquisition of pilot job knowledge and flying skills during training, and prediction of training performance. These studies focus on 2 widely-used USAF pilot selection tests, the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT; Berger, Gupta, Berger, & Skinner, 1990) and the Basic Attributes Test (BAT; Carretta & Ree, 1993).