Self-assessment accuracy and assessment centre decisions

A number of authors have proposed that self-assessment may represent a vali d tool fur use in assessment situations. Research suggests that those who a re accurate in self-assessments of performance actually perform more effect ively, e.g. in the job or at an assessment centre. This study examined the properties of two measures of self-assessment (absolute accuracy of self-as sessment and degree of inaccuracy of self-assessment) in a graduate assessm ent centre. Results showed that an accurate self-rating of performance on o ne assessment centre exercise reliably distinguished between accepted and r ejected candidates. Further, and importantly, this effect remained after va riance attributable to psychometric tests and demographic variables had bee n controlled fur. That is, some accurate self-assessments appear tl, have i ncremental validity above and beyond psycho metric tests. However, the magn itude and direction of self-assessment inaccuracy was significantly differe nt between the accepted and rejected candidates for three of the four exerc ises. These results suggested that while variables associated with self-ass essment may impact on the size of the inaccuracy of self-assessments, the i mpact of such variables map not lead to accurate self-assessment.