10.7 A Practical Approach to Setting Cut-off Scores

The following describes two basic steps to determine a cut-off score.

Job Performance Assessment Steps

Step #1

Consider the required level of job performance
Make a judgement as to the assessment score corresponding to the level of job performance that you consider acceptable (i.e., the lowest level of job performance that you consider satisfactory).
When making this judgment, you consider various information sources, such as the performance of the current employee and the opinion of coworkers familiar with the position.

Step #2

Determine whether a higher cut-off score can be justified based on external factors.

Having established the minimum level you are willing to accept, determine whether a higher cut-off score can be justified based on external factors, such as the pool of candidates, the present labour market conditions, the importance of the work to be done, etc.

 

Example 1: Knowledge about filing systems
Example 2: Management Abilities

Now that we have set our cutoff scores, we can use the Multiple Cutoff model or the Multiple Hurdle model to help us make decisions. These models are non-compensatory, so applicants are rejected if their scores on any of the predictors fall below the cutoff scores.

Multiple Cut-off Model

The multiple cut-off model requires a candidate to receive a minimum score on all selection criteria. For example, a candidate for a firefighter position may be required to have a score of at least 3 out of 5 on each of the requirements. If the candidate scored low on a “physical ability” test, he /she wouldn’t get the job in a multiple cutoff model regardless of how well he/she did in the other tests.

Take, for example, in Figure 10.5.1, the candidate may be required to have a score of at least 2 out of 5 on each of the criteria. If this was the case, the candidate in Figure 10.5.1  scored low on “bad news to a client,” meaning he/she wouldn’t get the job in a multiple-cutoff model.

Multiple Hurdle Model

The multiple hurdle model is similar to the Multiple Cutoff model. Still, instead of having all the candidates complete all the tests, only those candidates with high scores go to the next stage of the selection process. When a candidate fails to meet the cutoff score on a given predictor (i.e., tests, interviews, and reference checks), the applicant ceases to be a candidate for the job. This reduces the number of candidates as the process progresses.

For example, the expectation might be to score a four on at least three items in Figure 10.5.1, “Sample Selection Model, with Sample Scores and Weighting Filled In.” If this were the case, this candidate might make it to the next level of the selection process since he/she scored at least a four on three criteria areas.


Setting Cut-off Scores: A Matter of Judgement” by the Government of Canada used under the Crown Copyright – NonCommercial Reproduction Licence (Canada). The Government of Canada does not endorse this reproduction.—Modifications: Used section A practical approach to setting cut-off scores, reorganized.

5.14 Combining The Test Results Information” from Human Resources Management – 3rd Edition by Debra Patterson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.—Modifications: Used sections Multiple cutoff approach & Multiple hurdle approach, added further examples.

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Recruitment and Selection Copyright © 2024 by Melanie Hapke is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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