Services
Psychological Tests We Use
Our comprehensive assessment battery consists of three proprietary psychological tests, scientifically validated for public safety agencies and other high-risk professions. These tests provide objective insights into cognitive ability, personality traits, and potential psychological risks, ensuring that only the most suitable candidates are selected for critical roles.
ART-E1 – Cognitive Ability & Practical Intelligence
The ART-E1 measures intelligence, non-verbal reasoning, and practical decision-making skills. Unlike traditional verbal IQ tests, the ART-E1 is less influenced by education level or cultural background, making it a more fair and more reliable assessment of an individual’s ability to think critically and apply common sense in high-pressure situations.D-160 & D-80 – Personality & Psychological Stability
These assessments evaluate both normal personality traits and potential psychological risk factors that may interfere with job performance in public safety roles.- D-160 – Modeled after the Sixteen Personality Factor (16PF) Questionnaire, the D-160 assesses core personality traits such as introversion, emotional stability, behavioral control, and adaptability—key factors in evaluating a candidate’s suitability for high-stakes work.
- D-80 – Focuses on emotional and psychological disturbances that could pose risks in public safety roles. It identifies severe behavioral tendencies that may compromise job performance, decision-making, and overall fitness for duty.
Hiring Recommendation Decision Rules
Psychological Resources applies a rigorous, research-backed decision-making process to assess an applicant’s suitability for public safety roles. Our decision rules integrate cognitive ability, personality factors, and emotional stability to ensure that only qualified, psychologically sound candidates move forward in the hiring process.
Core Assessment Factors
Our hiring recommendations are based on:
- Cognitive Ability (ART-E1 Score) – Intelligence provides the foundation for decision-making, problem-solving, and adaptability. Scores undergo a curvilinear transformation to prevent minor differences among high scorers from overly influencing outcomes.
- Personality Factors (D-160 Composite Scores) – Key traits, including anxiety and neurotic conflict, are assessed to determine overall psychological stability.
- Emotional Disturbance Indicators (D-80 Scores) – Measures emotional regulation, risk-taking tendencies, and psychological disturbances that could impair job performance.
In addition to numerical scoring, our system identifies maladaptive personality patterns known to negatively impact public safety performance. These patterns result in automatic score adjustments, guiding hiring decisions as follows:
Disqualifying and Marginal Indicators
- Below-Average Intelligence – Candidates must meet a minimum cognitive ability threshold to demonstrate the capacity for sound judgment and procedural learning. The ART-E1 provides strong validation as a measure of intelligence, and we set a cutoff at the lower end of the average range to ensure competency.
- Severe Emotional Disturbances – Candidates with high D-80 scores are disqualified, as research confirms that gross psychological instability leads to poor job performance, particularly in high-pressure public safety roles.
- Exploitative, Destructive, or Manipulative Traits – Individuals displaying high levels of manipulation, aggression, or antisocial tendencies pose a significant risk in positions of authority. The D-160 and D-80 reliably identify such traits, and extreme scores in this area result in immediate disqualification.
- Self-Destructive Tendencies – Research links self-harm inclinations to reckless behavior, poor judgment, and disregard for safety. While very high scores on D-80 disqualify a candidate, moderate elevations trigger further investigation, ensuring potential risks are fully evaluated before hiring decisions are made.
Test Administration & Turnaround
Our testing process is designed for efficiency, accuracy, and ease of use, allowing agencies to administer assessments seamlessly while ensuring rapid turnaround of results.
Court-Supervised Testing
& Legal Validation
Psychological Resources’ assessment methodology has been subjected to judicial oversight and remains compliant with established legal standards for fair, non-discriminatory hiring practices.
Our rank-ordering process, which allows agencies to prioritize candidates based on objective psychological evaluations, has been legally validated and implemented by several large public safety departments. Notably, this procedure was reviewed and approved by the Federal District Court in Atlanta as part of a settlement in two major discrimination cases:
This legal validation underscores the fairness, reliability, and compliance of our testing system, ensuring that agencies can confidently use our assessments while adhering to hiring best practices and legal guidelines.
Our rank-ordering process, which allows agencies to prioritize candidates based on objective psychological evaluations, has been legally validated and implemented by several large public safety departments. Notably, this procedure was reviewed and approved by the Federal District Court in Atlanta as part of a settlement in two major discrimination cases:
- Reeves vs. Atlanta
- Afro-American Patrolman’s League vs. Atlanta
This legal validation underscores the fairness, reliability, and compliance of our testing system, ensuring that agencies can confidently use our assessments while adhering to hiring best practices and legal guidelines.
