ETS Canada wins contract to develop test items for Canadian Forces
Educational Testing Service Canada (ETS Canada) has won a major contract to develop questions for the Canadian military’s recruitment test, taken by more than 30,000 candidates each year.Every applicant to the Canadian Forces must complete the Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (CFAT), and military career counselors use the results to place recruits in occupations ranging from cooks to artillery crews to flight engineers. Since the test results have a significant impact on the type of work a recruit will perform, the CFAT is important for both the military and test takers.
“We welcome the opportunity to work with the Canadian Forces,” says Doug Ronson, President of ETS Canada. “To date, our company has focused primarily on educational assessment, and this project allows us to continue our growth by moving into the development of assessments for workforce skills.”
The military currently delivers the CFAT via computer using fixed test forms. The Canadian Forces plans to develop a computer-generated version of the test to improve test security and re-test procedures. ETS Canada will develop the new items to create a bank of questions for the test.
“The CFAT is a critical tool in the selection of high-quality applicants,” says Colin Kemp, a Defence Scientist with the Department of National Defence in Ottawa. “The project that ETS is working on is important to ensure the viability and security of the CFAT.”
The ETS Canada item development team will create approximately 1000 new items for the three sections of the exam, including verbal skills, spatial ability and problem solving.
