Factor Structure of the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test: Analysis and Comparison.
Abstract
The Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) is used to qualify men and women for commissions in the Air Force, classify them for pilot and navigator jobs, and award Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) scholarships. Despite more than three decades of use, little published literature exists outside of Air Force technical reports that do not receive wide distribution. One of the most important details about a test battery is which factors it measures. To determine this, several factor models were tested with structural equations. Most of the models were hierarchical with general cognitive ability (g) as the highest factor. A model with hierarchical g and the five lower-order factors of verbal, math, spatial, aircrew, and perceptual speed fit the data best. The factor structure of the AFOQT was compared to the factor structure of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), the enlistment qualification test battery. The AFOQT was found to contain a greater number of factors than the ASVAB. Given the confirmed AFOQT factor structure, four methods of increasing its validity were proposed and discussed. These methods were: increasing reliability of the tests, increasing the g-saturation, adding job knowledge tests, and adding additional valid factors.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA353058
Entities
People
- Malcolm J. Ree
- Thomas R. Carreta
Organizations
- Armstrong Laboratory