Developing Situational Judgement Tests: A Practitioner’s Approach

Facilitators
Daniel Hughes and David Jenkins

Who should attend
This workshop is designed for people who are interested in learning about the Situational Judgement Test (SJT) approach, its applications and practical techniques for developing this type of test. The workshop is suitable for delegates with varying levels of experience, ranging from those who have limited knowledge and experience of SJTs to those who have more expertise and simply want to keep abreast with the latest theoretical developments in this dynamic and rapidly developing field. No prior knowledge of Situational Judgement Tests is required, but delegates should have some general understanding and experience of psychometric testing (e.g. BPS Level A or equivalent).

Workshop overview
This is an intensive one-day interactive workshop, which will give delegates the necessary skills and knowledge to understand, use and develop Situational Judgement Tests.

Why should you attend?
Situational Judgement Tests (SJT) are growing in popularity and are now used by an increasing range of organisations in the UK, Europe and North America. SJTs are being used in a variety of contexts, for example, training, leadership development, assessment and selection. Not only are SJTs seen favourably by candidates, but research increasingly suggests that they can assess job-relevant behaviours whilst showing less adverse impact than cognitive ability tests.

In this hands-on session, delegates will be asked to take part in practical sessions using the techniques necessary for designing a SJT.

Aims of the workshop

• To provide delegates with a broad understanding of the key principles of Situational Judgement Tests.
• To provide delegates with an introduction to the historical origins, evolution and development of Situational Judgement Tests.
• To equip delegates with an understanding of the variety of applications in which Situational Judgement Tests might be used.
• To equip delegates with an understanding of the benefits and limitations of using Situational Judgement Tests.
• To provide delegates with an understating of the theoretical underpinnings of Situational Judgement Tests.
• To equip delegates with the necessary skills required to construct a Situational Judgement Test.
• To leave with practical tips on developing and using Situational Judgement Tests.

Projected outcomes and benefits of attending
By the end of this Workshop, delegates will be able to:

• explain the key components of a Situational Judgement Test;
• describe the benefits and limitations of using Situational Judgement Tests in a variety of occupational settings;
• describe the theoretical underpinnings of Situational Judgement Tests;
• describe a range of different approaches to developing Situational Judgement Tests; and
• demonstrate their ability to carry out the various stages involved in the design of a Situational Judgement Test, using a specified approach.

Psychological theory underpinning the workshop
The use of Situational Judgement Tests is growing rapidly. Research has demonstrated that SJTs can be effective selection tools as they demonstrate evidence of criterion-related validity (McDaniel et al., 2001). Alongside this, they tend to show lower levels of adverse impact than are typically found for cognitive ability tests (e.g. Nguyen & McDaniel, 2003).

There has been much debate about what SJTs actually measure. Research suggests that there is a relatively strong relationship between SJTs and cognitive ability (McDaniel et al., 2001). However, while SJTs account for all the predictive validity of cognitive ability tests, the reverse is not true (Weekley & Jones 1999). An explanation of these findings could be that SJTs do not measure a unique construct, as cognitive ability tests are designed to do, but are multidimensional tools that encompass several job-relevant skills and abilities. On this basis, SJTs can be considered to be measurement methods for assessing different aspects of job knowledge.

There are a number of different approaches to developing SJTs. As a result, tests can vary substantially depending on the method used. This workshop will cover the research relating to the different approaches and will outline when different methodologies may be appropriate.

Pre/post work required
N/A

Date and venue
8 May 2008, 09.30 - 17.00.
The British Psychological Society, 30 Tabernacle Street, London, EC2A 4UE.

Facilitator details

Dan Hughes is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist and Product Development Manager at Assessment & Development Consultants Ltd. He has extensive experience in the design and development of selection and assessment solutions. He has a particularly interest in applying psychometric principles to behaviourally focused assessment methods, such as situational judgement tests and work simulations. His main areas of expertise are in psychometric test development, online assessment, electronic work simulations and validation/adverse impact analysis. In his career, he has worked on the development of a range of assessment tools for public and private sector clients as well as off-the-shelf products.

David Jenkins is a Senior Consultant at Assessment & Development Consultants Ltd. David has extensive experience in the design and development of selection and assessment solutions for shop floor workers through to executives. David has developed a range of solutions for private and public sector organisations, from organisational competency frameworks, work simulations, promotion and performance management systems, executive assessment processes and remote assessment centres through to SJTs. David’s main areas of expertise lie in designing and implementing behaviourally focused selection and assessment systems.

Registration is now open

Reg Form: Hughes 08.05.08

or book on-line

The Division of Occupational
Psychology is part of:
The British Psychological Society