ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a variety of procedures for assessing knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs), ranging from highly standardized tests to assessments with little or no standardization, with no clear line distinguishing tests from other assessment procedures. Multinational companies can treat operations in each country as independent and develop locally valid assessment procedures. Testing, and personnel assessment generally, is and has been controversial. There are controversies among psychometrically trained experts, among people trained in different test-using disciplines, between psychometric professionals and people outside of these professions, and in society generally. Cognitive tests allow individuals to show what they know, perceive, remember, understand, or can work with mentally. Computerized technologies offer new ways to do conventional testing and new ways to do unconventional testing. Adaptive testing has long been used in individually administered ability tests, but it required the combination of modern computers and the development of item response theory to bring it to its current level of sophistication.
