Off-the-Shelf Exams

I/O Solutions has developed and maintains approximately 40 unique examinations that are distributed nationwide. Exams range from entry-level basic abilities tests to promotional knowledge exams and integrity assessments to emergency medical services certification exams. All exams have been carefully validated and are ready to be used by your agency. I/O Solutions offers agencies assistance in locally validating or transporting our off-the-shelf products to ensure that the test will be valid for your specific application <Read More>.

Job-Related

It is vitally important that any assessment, be it an exam or other employment selection tool, measures the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for competently performing the job in question. Our off-the-shelf (OTS) exams are developed with this explicit purpose, to measure job-related knowledge, skills and abilities. The first step in developing any of our off-the-shelf (OTS) exams is a job analysis <Read More>. Our team of I/O psychologists expertly gathers information about a given job through incumbent interviews, job observations and job analysis questionnaires. This information is then distilled down to the critical elements of the job, and the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities are identified and linked to these critical elements. Each OTS exam is reviewed by experts to ensure it is psychometrically sound and job-related.

Validity Evidence

Evidence of validity can take many forms, but at its core, evidence of validity suggests that a tool is measuring the intended constructs, knowledge, skills or abilities. For this reason, validity evidence is among the most important aspects to demonstrate in selection <Read More>. As a testing and consulting firm, it is our mission to ensure that each of our OTS exams is supported by robust validity evidence. Many of our exam are supported by multiple forms of validity evidence, and our Research and Development Division is devoted to continually seek further evidence that our exams appropriately measure intended job constructs, knowledge, skills or abilities.

Each I/O Solutions exam has been developed to rigorous specifications and is supported by validity evidence. However, the legal system tends to favor local validity evidence <Read More>. Because we are concerned about legally supporting all our exams, we offer assistance with both local validation and transport validity evidence for our OTS exams. Through these methods and the generalized evidence of validity we gather during development and ongoing R&D efforts, our OTS exams have a never legally been challenged successfully. 

Fairness

I/O Solutions was founded on two key principles: scientific rigor and fairness. It is our mission to develop psychometrically sound tools for selection that are supported by the latest scientific theories as well as to ensure that our methods and models are designed to mitigate adverse impact on protected groups. Our first OTS exam (the NCJOSI) brought a unique alternative selection tool to public safety testing. It was the first tool available specifically designed for the public safety industry with a compensatory model <Read More> that combined cognitive ability and personality.  Research suggests that this model could maximize validity while minimizing adverse impact. Following this legacy, we have continually consulted research and investigated ways not only to maximize validity, but also to minimize the adverse effects and unfair consequences of improperly designed selection tools.