ABSTRACT
Public sector testing has evolved over the past two centuries in terms of test content and test format. Public sector employment covers a very wide range of jobs and thus requires use of correspondingly wide range of assessment tools. Position classification invariably results in a class specification document that at the very least provides a starting point for construction of a job-relevant examination. Civil service examinations are seen as embodying "merit principles" in selection in that they are based on job-related criteria and provide a ranking of candidates in terms of their relative degree of qualification. One approach that helps meet the demand for a separate examination for each job, given the multiplicity of jobs within a given organization, is a systematic approach of analysis across jobs with a focus on the commonality among jobs. By combining more traditional tests and surveys with video based scenarios requiring preferred response a more complete picture of each candidates' overall job fitness emerges.
