Structured Learning ExercisesStructured Learning Exercises (SLEs) are a major step forward in aptitude testing, devised by Dr Steve Blinkhorn in 1984 and developed over a period of 20 years at PRD.
Unlike conventional aptitude tests, the aim to assess not what candidates know at the start of a testing session, but what they can learn, discover and apply successfully. To this end, candidates are provided with the information they need to succeed in the course of the test, and the size and complexity of the problems they tackle grow as the test proceeds.
SLEs have repeatedly demonstrated two valuable advantages over older styles of test: increased validity and reduced or absent adverse impact on minority or disadvantaged groups. The increase in validity, up by a factor of typically around 50%, was apparent from the start. But with increasing experience, our team of specialist authors have been stamping down on adverse impact progressively and to spectacular effect.
Most SLEs have been developed for closed use in organisations with large-scale testing needs, such as the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO), and the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) (see Bespoke Tests). A set of 12 paper-and-pencil SLEs available for more general use, known as the ABLE series, is published under licence by OPP.
Prospective users of this kind of test for Human Resource Management purposes should contact us for details of what is presently available and what is currently under development.
