Psychometric comparison of paper-and-pencil and online personality assessments in a selection setting

Abstract

The goal of the study was to determine whether the Occupational Personality Questionnaire (OPQ32i) yielded comparable results when two different modes of administration, namely paper and-pencil and Internet- based administration, were used in real-life, high-stakes selection settings. Two studies were conducted in which scores obtained online in unproctored settings were compared with scores obtained during proctored paper-and-pencil settings. The psychometric properties of the paper-and-pencil and Internet-based applications were strikingly similar. Structural equation modelling with EQS indicated substantial support for the hypothesis that covariance matrices of the paper-and-pencil and online applications in both studies were identical. It was concluded that relationships between the OPQ32i scales were not affected by mode of administration or supervision.

Keywords

• online assessment
• personality questionnaire
• equivalence
• Occupational Personality Questionnaire
• paper-and-pencil assessment