Automated testing: Past,present and future

Over the past 15 years, a considerable body of literature has built up concerning the automation of psychological tests. Most of this research has been in the area of clinical testing, and may be unfamiliar to many of those involved in occupational assessment. However, the growth of office automation over the past few years has provided the hardware support needed for the development of automated personnel assessment techniques in industry and commerce. The present paper: (1) reviews the major developments in the field of automated testing, bringing together the literature from the clinical and occupational fields; (2) describes the potential provided by microcomputers for the development of new forms of testing; (3) outlines certain problems peculiar to automated testing; and (4) describes the possible future development of ‘expert’ personnel assessment and selection decision support systems.