Rating Scale Content: I. Scale Information and Supervisory Ratings ¹

Summary and Conclusions F our rating scale formats were used by the first and second line supervisors of four groups of clerical workers. The formats varied from unstructured to highly structured. The format incorporating trait titles and behavioral descriptions of scale steps demonstrated marked superiority over both more‐ and less‐structured formats. This format demonstrated higher inter‐rater reliability, less halo and less leniency than did the other formats. Variability was approximately equal for all formats.