ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a cursory, bird's-eye survey of Assessment Center (AC) practice in Israel. In contrast to the North American template, where most ACs do not engage psychologists as assessors, the dominant view in Israel is of an AC as a psychological assessment procedure. The introduction of a promotional AC in an organization is not a mere technical change in HR management practice. In most cases, Israeli ACs integrates a broad methodological diversity. The use of cognitive and personality tests, personal interviews, biographical questionnaires and peer evaluations as part of the AC process is common practice. Since most ACs is high-stake tests, it is natural for motivated candidates to invest considerable effort in self-preparation, including information-gathering. Considering that Israel is a melting-pot society of Jews and Arabs, still absorbing immigration from dozens of countries as diversified as Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union, it is naturally common for local ACs to be demographically heterogeneous.
