The Need for International Guidelines on Standards for Test Use: A Review of European and Internatio

Psychological tests are in widespread use in most countries within the developed and, to a lesser degree, the developing world. Of all categories of tests, educational testing is the most widespread (Bartram & Coyne, 1998). Most emerging nations have recognized how important it is to invest well in education: Educational testing is the key to measuring potential and effectiveness and, thus, in making the most of what are often limited national resources. Occupational testing is also very widely used-—especially for selection into work and for career guidance. Its use is predicated upon the notion that such processes should be rational and objective, and that "fairness" resides in basing job choice on evidence relating to the potential fit of a person's qualities with those required by the job. Countries that have a tradition of basing selection for work on other notions of fairness (for example, kinship links, status in the community, etc.) are less likely to see the benefits of psychological testing. By and large, all the major industrialized countries in the world now use or are beginning to use psychological testing in occupational assessment. Its use is strongest in traditionally "Western" cultures (i. e., Europe, North America, Australia, etc.), though interest in testing and the use of tests is increasing in cultures far less strongly rooted in psychometric traditions and in Western notions of person-job fit criteria. Growing interest is being seen in areas such as the Middle East and Pacific Rim countries. The globalization of industry is resulting in the spread of the testing and selection practices of the major international companies to smaller national organizations wherever they compete in local market places. Many test publishers are international organizations, selling their tests in a large number of countries.