Validation of Current and Alternative Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) Area Composites, Based on Training and Skill Qualification Test (SQT) Information on Fiscal Year 1981 and 1982 Enlisted Accessions. Technical Report 651

This report describes a large scale research effort to validate and improve the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) aptitude area (AA) composites now used by the Army to select and classify enlisted personnel. Data were collected from existing Army sources on over 60,000 soldiers and over 60 Military Occupational Specialties (MOS). The research had three major components: (1) the components now being used by the Army were validated; (2) a new set of composites were derived empirically; and (3) both sets were compared on the basis of predictive validity, differential validity, and possible prediction bias. Both sets of composites were found to perform well, with the alternate set of four composites doing slightly better than the nine now in operational use. Appendices contain supplemental tables, editing of training outcome scores, and conversion scores. (Author/LMO)