Determining if the Canadian Forces Aptitude Test is biased against Canadian Aboriginal peoples

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to determine if any items on the Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (CFAT) possessed any degree of bias on the basis of Aboriginal status. A secondary goal was to investigate the possibility of using another well-established measure of cognitive ability to select Aboriginal Peoples for employment in the Canadian Forces (CF). To achieve these ends, the CFAT, Wonderlic Personnel Test (WPT), Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (SPM) and Mill Hill Vocabulary Scale (MHV) were administered to Aboriginal Peoples (n = 101) living in special access and remote communities. The same four tests were also administered to a reference group composed of recruits (n = 108) undergoing basic training in the CF.

The "four-fifths" rule was used to determine if the CFAT had an adverse impact on Aboriginal Peoples. The CFAT scores of the Aboriginal participants were compared against the scores of Anglophone Non-Commissioned Member applicants. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)