Item Analysis and Revision of the Flight Aptitude Selection Tests

Abstract

The current operational FAST battery is scored by hand more than 90% of the time. Quality checks at MILPERCEN and reports from field testing locations reveal a high error rate among hand-scored tests. This required establishing a quality control system in 1975 by which FAST test scores are checked by hand at MILPERCEN. Thus, it was apparent that a desirable test battery would be one which was easier to administer and which could be 'checked' by machine. At the time the FAST was originally developed provisions were made for further analysis to shorten the battery and provide more effective prediction of training performance. This research represents an effort to accomplish these objectives and to develop a single FAST battery for all applicants consisting of fewer, shorter, and more easily scored component tests. A principal objective in the revision effort was to shorten the battery. To accomplish this the following two-phase approach was applied. First, the number of tests included in the battery was reduced by factor analysis and stepwise multiple correlation. Second, items in each of the more predictive tests were subjected to item analysis procedures to retain the more valid items and eliminate the less effective ones.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 1978
Accession Number
ADA077953

Entities

People

  • Robert F. Eastman
  • Robert L. Mcmullen

Organizations

  • U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Army Aviation
  • Comprehension
  • Control Systems
  • Data Science
  • Factor Analysis
  • Flight Training
  • Helicopters
  • Information Science
  • Maneuvers
  • Military Research
  • Orientation (Direction)
  • Quality Control
  • Regression Analysis
  • Social Sciences
  • Standards
  • Training
  • Warrant Officers

Fields of Study

  • Education

Readers

  • Educational Psychology
  • Psychometric Testing or Psychological Assessment.