An examination of the influence of formal characteristics of paper -and -pencil selection test procedures on outcomes: A policy -capturing approach

Hypothesized relations between formal characteristics of selection procedures (i.e., job relatedness, opportunity to perform, consistency of administration, reconsideration opportunity) and outcomes (i.e., organizational attractiveness, job offer acceptance intentions, test-taking self-efficacy, litigation likelihood) were examined using policy-capturing methodology and multilevel analysis. Results confirmed that increases in formal characteristics were related to increases in organizational attractiveness, job offer acceptance intentions, and test-taking self-efficacy and decreases in litigation likelihood. Specifically, organizational attractiveness was most influenced by consistency of administration, followed by opportunity to perform, reconsideration opportunity, and job relatedness. Job offer acceptance intentions were also most influenced by consistency of administration, followed by opportunity to perform, job relatedness, and reconsideration opportunity. However, test-taking self-efficacy was most influenced by opportunity to perform, followed by consistency of administration, reconsideration opportunity, and job relatedness. Finally, litigation likelihood was most influenced by consistency of administration, followed by job relatedness, reconsideration opportunity, and opportunity to perform. In addition, exploratory analyses suggested that gender and race partially explained some of the relations. Specifically, the influence of consistency of administration on organizational attractiveness was stronger for women and Asian-Americans than Caucasian men. The influence of consistency of administration on job offer acceptance intention was also stronger for women than Caucasian men. Further, the influence of both consistency of administration and reconsideration opportunity on test-taking self-efficacy was stronger for Asian-Americans than Caucasian men. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.