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Note: This test review was published by BPS in 2004
Description of the Test:
The PTB is one of a number of general aptitude test batteries produced by SHL. The tests it contains have been designed for use with clerical, sales, secretarial and general office staff groups (or applicants for such positions). The second edition of the PTB contains nine tests which are designed to assess three specific abilities: language proficiency, numeracy and perceptual accuracy. The tests are designed to be used separately or in any combination. They provide for the assessment of people across quite a wide range of ability and are suitable for those with no formal educational qualifications up to those of A level standard. Each test is linked to a range of work activities and the test publisher suggests that the choice of tests used should be based on the relevance of this information to the job of interest to the test user. The first five tests have alternate forms (indicated by the suffix x.2) and the sixth test comes in two forms. (1) The Verbal Usage Test (VP1.1) and its alternative form (VP1.2) measure the ability to spell correctly and appreciate basic grammar. The item content is relevant to work activities and avoids the use of unnecessarily difficult or obscure words. The administration for both tests is identical and so they can be used at the same time. They contain 30 items with a time limit of 10 min. (2) The Numerical Comprehension Test (NP2.1) and its alternative form (NP2.2) were designed to measure the ability to carry out the four basic arithmetical operations and also the use of fractions, decimals and percentages. The administration for both forms is identical. Both have 30 items with a time limit of 10 min. (3) The Clerical Checking Tests (CP3.1 and CP3.2) are designed to measure speed and accuracy in checking written information. A realistic clerical task is used. In CP3.1 information on hotel prices is used while in CP3.2 the information relates to the hire of office equipment. The administration of the tests differs according to the test content. Both have 30 items and a time limit of 7 min. (4) The Classification Tests (CP4.1 and CP4.2) assess the ability to understand and use simple rules in order to code given information. In CP4.1 each item is a record of a sales order which must be coded for filing. In CP4.2 the items are index cards relating to correspondence. The administration of the tests differs according to the test content. Both have 60 items and a time limit of 7 min. (5) The Verbal Comprehension Tests (VP5.1 and VP5.2) aim to measure the ability to understand written information. The item content has been chosen to be relevant to work settings. Sufficient time has been allowed to ensure that reading speed does not unduly influence test scores. The administration is identical for both tests, which have 40 items and a time limit of 18 min. (6) The Numerical Reasoning Tests (NP6.1 and NP6.2) are designed to measure simple reasoning skills with numbers. The content has a commercial bias. Some calculation is required but the emphasis is on understanding and recognising ways of finding the answer. In NP6.2 candidates are allowed to use calculators and greater emphasis is put on the reasoning aspect of the task. NP6.1 contains 30 items, while NP6.2 contains 24 items; both have a time limit of 15 min. (7) The Basic Checking Test (CP7.1) is a test of speed and accuracy in checking. It consists of two separately timed sub-tests, the first concerned with checking numbers and the second with checking letters. In total there are 80 items with a total time limit of 10 min. (8) The Audio Checking Test (CP8.1) is a test of speed and accuracy in checking information presented from an audio cassette. It is made up of three sub-tests; the first uses numbers, the second letters and the third numbers plus letters. There are 60 items and a time limit of approximately 10 min. (9) The Text Checking Test (CP9.1) is a test of speed and accuracy of checking copies of written information against an original. It is designed to be a test of proof-reading ability. There are 50 items and a time limit of 10 min.
Authors:P Saville, G Nyfield, R Holdsworth (1979 edition)
Test Publisher: SHL Group Ltd.
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