PSYCHOLOGY MASTER'S THESIS ABSTRACT

Kelly Kaminski
Industrial/Organizational
August 2004

An Examination of Applicant Preparation for Assessment Centers

    The purpose of this study was to examine how people prepare for assessment center (AC) exercises, as well as the effectiveness of various preparation strategies in helping participants determine the behavioral dimensions being evaluated.  Ninety-one internal job applicants from a large western utility company participated in in-basket and customer service role-play AC exercises, and completed measures of test preparation and dimension recognition.  Results indicated low overall engagement in various preparation activities such as searching the internet for information, participating in coaching sessions, and talking to others about the assessment.  Results also indicated a moderate degree of recognition of the behavioral dimensions (decision-making, problem-solving, etc) used in scoring the AC exercises.  However, participants did tend to score higher on behavioral dimensions they knew were being evaluated.  Study implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

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