Firefighter Entrance Examination

Over 30 year of research confirms that firefighter success demands more than a candidate's ability to read and score high on an I.Q. test.

Interpersonal skills, motivation, rule conformity and respect for authority are a few of the components which must be taken into consideration when evaluating a fire candidate.

Fire Service Administrators have long been aware of the many dimensions of both behavior and mental ability that affect firefighter performance.

With the advent of computer technology, PCI Fire Division has developed a practical and cost-effective process capable of combining critical personality traits with job-critical dimensions of reading and listening. The result is a powerful instrument which pinpoints the good candidate while targeting the potential problem employee. In addition to a traditional written test score our test report provides maximum information concerning work-related measures to assist you with oral interviews and background investigations. Also included are admissions made by the candidate regarding areas of the past behavior that are often the focus of pre-employment inquiry.

Measures of listening and reading comprehension are also provided to help ensure that candidates are able to complete required training and certification programs.

The two and a half hour examination process is administered at your site by our trained field consultants and results are returned to you in less than 5 working days.

Features

• Test results that predict job success
• Complies with ADA and The Civil Rights Act of 1991
• All results processed in PCI's own facilities for full security
• Detailed individual report for each candidate
• Full specific validation or transportability research available
• Affordable prices.

Validation

The Firefighter Entrance Examination is a mathematical model of mental ability and personality trait scores. This instrument possesses powerful empirical validity.

This test battery is free of adverse impact on protected classes not only by pass/fail, but by rank order as well. This is accomplished without differential scoring or any loss of validity and accuracy.

Written Test Score

The Written Test Score is derived by the use of scientifically derived weights for selected test variables. Several alternate but equally valid test scoring formulae are available for special job requirements to assure the highest specific validity. All test formulas include multiple measures of both critical mental abilities and job related behavior traits.

Graphics Section

The front page graphics section details each candidate's performance in firefighter related mental ability areas and also measures their aptitude in 5 critical skills areas.

Background Investigation Guide

The second page graphics of each report serves as a guide for both background investigations and some types of interviews. Included in this section are actual admissions made by each candidate in areas frequently explored in background investigations.

Technical

Validity Coefficient

The correlations for the concurrent strategy far exceed the .01 level of significance. The criterion measures employed include various hard indices of work performance, traditional supervisory evaluation and special ranking scales. Criterion measures are evaluated for age and race bias. Additional performance measures include disciplinary action commendations, productivity and tardiness.

Reliability

Measures of test reliability exceed .80.

Passing Point

The passing point is calculated so that a written test score of seventy equals a 50/50 chance of success on the job when the standard error of measurements is taken into consideration.