ABSTRACT
The following guidelines should be followed when administering psychometric tests in employment settings.
Test administration should accord with the organisation’s code of practice. Care must be taken not to infringe the Data Protection Act (1984), the Sex Discrimination Act (1975), the Race Relations Act (1976), the Disabilities Discrimination Act (1995) or the Employment Equality Regulations (2003), which deals with discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and, under subsequent amendments in 2006, with age and religion. Candidates should receive a letter in good time before the testing session, providing them with clear information about the nature of the assessment, why it is being used, the conditions under which it will take place and the nature of any feedback. Candidates should also be assured that their test responses will be treated in confidence. They should be told who will have access to the data and for how long it will be kept. Informed consent should be obtained from the candidate before testing begins. This should be in the form of a previously prepared written statement that explains the type of test to be administered and its purpose, as well as who will have access to the data. It is the responsibility of the test user to ensure that candidates understand the testing procedure.
