Personality as a predictor of performance in the Canadian Armed Forces : establishing cut-off scores

Abstract

The Trait Self Descriptive Personality Inventory (TSD-PI) has been administered to applicants of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) as a selection measure since 2013. The purpose of this study was to present the theoretical and empirical justification for the establishment of cut-off scores for the conscientiousness and emotional stability subscales of the measure, used as predictors of training and job performance outcome criteria. Predictor variable data were collected from 7252 serving members with training results and 1232 with job performance information. Regression results revealed no significant relationships between the personality subscales and training results; however, performance data suggested the value of establishing distinct cut-off scores for officers, non-commissioned members (NCMs) and NCM family groups, categories comprised of occupations sharing common sets of abilities or competencies. Criterion-related and norm-referenced techniques provided recommendations for the establishment of baseline scores. Study limitations, implications and future research directions are discussed.