The Impact of Faking on Employment Tests: Does Forced Choice Offer a Solution?

Abstract We evaluated the effects of faking on mean scores and correlations with self-reported counterproductive behavior of integrity-related personality items administered in single-stimulus and forced-choice formats. In laboratory studies, we found that respondents instructed to respond as if applying for a job scored higher than when given standard or "straight-take" instructions. The size of the mean shift was nearly a full standard deviation for the single-stimulus integrity measure, but less than one third of a standard deviation for the same items presented in a forced-choice format. The correlation between the personality questionnaire administered in the single-stimulus condition and self-reported workplace delinquency was much lower in the job applicant condition than in the straight-take condition, whereas the same items administered in the forced-choice condition maintained their substantial correlations with workplace delinquency.