ABSTRACT

A large variety of personnel selection procedures has been developed, including interviews, psychometric tests (including tests of cognitive ability and self-report measures of personality), biodata (biographical information about the candidate's life history), handwriting analysis, work sample tests and trainability tests. Selection tests can be classified as 'signs' or 'samples' (Wernimont & Campbell, 1968). A sign test is a more traditional test in which inferences are drawn about the psychological characteristics (signs) needed for successful job performance; the sample approach, on the other hand, focuses on the job tasks, and designs selection procedures that provide representative samples of the actual behaviour needed for successful job performance. Work samples and trainability testing are examples of sample selection tests. Tests that allow the prediction of trainees' performance,

particularly whether they will successfully complete their training and perform well in the operational environment, are a necessity for a successful training programme. Patrick (1992) argues that both trainability tests and work sample testing address trainability, since they assist in the selection of those people who will benefit most from training.