What are the legal implications of using the WorkPlace Big Five Profile for selection?
• A selection test needs good psychometric properties, such as reliability, validity, and principles of test construction. For the WorkPlace Big Five Profile, those properties are described in the Professional Manual. When developing WorkPlace, The Center for Applied Cognitive Studies consulted with employment attorneys to ensure there were no questions that are illegal in the US to ask for pre-hiring screening. • U.S. courts have ruled tests measuring personality disorders (such as the MMPI) may not be used for pre-hiring screening. Tests that measure personality traits (such as WorkPlace) are permitted. If a test measures both traits and disorders, it is not permitted. [There are exceptions to this rule, such as the fact that you may look for disorders when hiring persons who will be carrying a gun or working in nuclear power plants.] • There are only two reasons that courts might find fault with personality trait testing: 1) poor tests, and 2) poor testers. In other words, if a test
