Validation of the Naval Officer Assessment Board

Using a construct-oriented approach, the current study examined the predictive validity of the Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre measures and the Naval Officer Assessment Board measures, which constitute a multistage selection system designed to select Maritime Surface and Subsurface officers for the Canadian Forces. The results showed that cognitive ability at stage one and information-processing at stage two were valid predictors of Phase III training performance. Only information-processing was a valid predictor of Phase IV training performance. The Naval Officer Assessment Board measures at stage two of selection showed incremental predictive validity over the Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre measures at stage one of selection for both Phase III and Phase IV training. Implications and recommendations for Maritime Surface and Subsurface officer selection are discussed.