Book Review
The British Pyschological Society publication: Assessment & Development Matters: Vol.1 No.2: page 11
Book Review
Psychometric Testing Pocket Book
Dr Barry Cripps & Dorothy Spry
Management Pocketbooks Ltd, 2008.
ISBN:978-1-903776-43-8
Reviewed by Almuth McDowall
This book is part of a series published by Management Pocketbooks Ltd. Does this small volume deliver what it promises on the cover " a 'pocketful of tips, tools and techniques on how workplace testing can contribute positively to recruitment and HR, and to individual and team development'"
My answer is a wholehearted "yes". The authors keep their readership in mind throughout the book, that is time-poor managers who want a user-friendly introduction, rather than an in- depth guide. The book covers a lot of ground, starting with an initial introduction into what makes a good test and benchmarks for good practice. This leads into several sections that each cover a different application for testing: Selection, Organisational Development, Team Development, Personal Development and Career Counselling. Each includes a brief introduction to at least one instrument, ranging from commonly used ability tests through to well established "household names" in the personality domain, such as the MBTIŽ, as well as relatively recently developed measures such as the WaveŽ model. It is particularly useful that case studies are used to illustrate how instruments might be used, as well as actual test items, as together this helps readers understand what a test is like in practice.
It would have been useful to include a glossary, as one of the examples assumes that readers are familiar with sten scores and percentiles, which may not necessarily be the case. The choice of tests covered was obviously a personal one, but the authors make this very clear from the beginning.
All in all, a very useful book that I will recommend to students training for BPS Certificates of Competence in Occupational Testing. MSc students and HR practitioners often ask for a recommendation for a quick and easy overview so this pocketbook might just fill the need for an initial user-friendly introduction to the world of testing.
Almuth McDowall is a Chartered Occupational psychologist.