User Manual: The Generic Assignment Test and Evaluation Simulator (GATES).

Abstract : The United States Air Force Generic Assignment Test and Evaluation Simulator (GATES) project developed a research pool hosted on a personal computer for addressing personnel selection and classification (S&C) research issues. GATES provides computer simulation capability for evaluating the potential benefits of alternative S&C system designs and assignment algorithm within that system to assign sets of people to jobs. Either existing data bases or generated data sets can be processed. The researcher may then quantify the effectiveness and efficiency of these assignments through evaluation of specified measures of merit. Results yield comparisons of the effects of various assignment system designs, selection measures, and classification algorithms. GATES was designed to be readily adapted to the policies and data of any of the Military Services. This report begins with a definition of S&C, a presentation of current S&C procedures in the Military Services, and a motivation for the development of GATES. The user manual follows, providing information on software and hardware requirements, installation, support source files, and GATES functions and assignment algorithms. The report concludes with a tutorial which demonstrates the logical order that would be followed in using GATES to design, implement, and analyze a research study.