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Selection and Classification Tests for Women: A Review of the Literature

Author(s):
Mollenkopf, William G.; Wand, Barbara
Publication Year:
1954
Report Number:
RB-54-22
Source:
ETS Research Bulletin
Document Type:
Report
Page Count:
69
Subject/Key Words:
Bureau of Navy Personnel, Females, Literature Reviews, Military Personnel, Navy, Occupational Tests, Sex Differences, Test Bias

Abstract

The purpose of this review of the literature was to examine the appropriateness of using with women the same selection and classification procedures that are used with men in situations in which both men and women are selected for the same jobs. Particular attention was paid to reports of the selection of women for jobs similar to billets in the U.S. Navy. The findings tend to support the assumption that tests developed and used for the selection of men must be carefully examined prior to their use in selecting women for the same jobs. This seems particularly true for tests in mechanical and computational areas. In general, findings seem to indicate that a given tests score may not predict the same level of on-the-job performance for a woman as for a man, there being evidence that women do better than would be predicted from scores based on tests and procedures developed for men.

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