Development of Overlength Forms for a New Enlistment Screening Test

摘要

The Enlistment Screening Test (EST) is used by military recruiters to predict howa potential applicant is likely to score on the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT). Persons with low EST scores can be screened out as being unlikely to pass the AFQT standard. Persons with high EST scores can be encouraged to apply by describing available incentives such as bonuses and enlistment guarantees. A new EST has been developed because the Marine Corps felt that the previous EST had become obsolete. The development had two stages: In the first stage, two overlength forms (containing about 50 percent more test items than needed in the final forms) were constructed from items in discontinued versions of the DOD's test batteries. In the second stage, data on overlength forms were used to select items for the final forms. This research memorandum describes the first of these two stages.