Predictors of self-efficacy for cognitive ability employment testing

This study examined predictors of initial levels and of changes in self-efficacy (S-E) for cognitive ability employment testing. The testing S-E of 287 job applicants at a utility company was measured before the test, immediately after, and again after pass/fail feedback. Being male, having been hired previously by cognitive ability tests, perceiving such tests as valid and fair, and general S-E were each positively related to initial levels of S-E (Time 1), but race was unrelated. From before- to after-test feedback, S-E increased for those who passed and decreased for those who failed. Failing had a greater negative effect on subsequent S-E for women and Whites (vs. men and minorities). Failing also had a smaller negative effect on S-E for those who had been hired previously by ability tests than for those who had never been hired by them before. Implications of these findings are discussed.