How Benchmarks Are Established

1. Through testing and analysis of an employer’s top performers in a job category or categories. The employer identifies the top performers in a job category and tests them with The Achiever. The Achiever scores for each individual are plotted and the scores for the group are statistically analyzed to determine the mental aptitudes and personality traits the group has in common. This analysis results in the benchmark for the job category. This approach is also termed a concurrent validation study.
   
   
2. The Achiever industrial database contains benchmarks that have been derived from the scores of successful performers in hundreds of job categories and industries in organizations across America.
   
   
3. The job description and/or job function is reviewed relative to The Achiever Benchmarking Questionnaire. This review results in a benchmark based on the job description.

Option 1, the concurrent validation method, is the preferred approach. This option validates the use of The Achiever within a specific employer, providing additional insurance against claims of adverse impact. However, a concurrent validation study is not always possible due to limited number of top performers in a job category. When a concurrent study cannot be done, options 2 and 3 are viable alternatives.

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