Grey market tests are those commercial tests that are not accepted or condoned by psychological societies as having sufficient psychometric content. Some of the most popular tests used in businesses are grey market and are of little value. Why? Because they have no confirmation from the psychology establishment on proven reliablility or validity. There is no proof that they measure what they claim to measure. Some of these tests are clearly rejected upon review.
- Grey market tests are sometimes put on the commercial market before they are ready
- Grey market tests usually have a great marketing pitch, and a pyschological patron saint
- Great marketing sales pitch is known to psychologists as "face validity"
- Face validity means it looks good to an uninformed person (but has no true validity)
- Grey market test report statements are vague, and make suckers out of customers
- "There is a sucker born every minute" - said Phineas Barnum
- Psychologists state that there are many "Barnum" statements in grey market reports
- Users of grey market personality tests are not trained to international "Level B" standards
- Persons are "certified" in these tests by the publisher - mostly to avoid liability
- Virtually anyone can get certified as a test user
- The safest strategy is to puchase only those tests that are favorably reviewed by the following psychological institutions
- The Buros Institute
- The British Psychological Society
- The American Psychological Association
Practice Areas Where Grey Market Tests Can Be Found
- Personality testing
- Conflict styles assessments
- Most commonly in the business sector
- They can also be found sometimes in public institutions and colleges
Why Are Grey Market Tests Bought and Used in the Marketplace?
- Uninformed or untrained Human Resource professionals
- Sometimes their cost is lower that real tests, which translates to perceived value
- Credibility is boosted when poor tests are inadvertently acquird by struggling publishers
- Most coaches and others using these tests are rarely trained in psychology
- Test users often don't know the difference between a real test and a grey market test
- Grey markt tests often make unrealistic claims of success