The objective of this research was to provide construct validity evidence for two situational judgment tests (SJTs) that were developed to evaluate the cognitive skills of experienced Army leaders in the Maneuver Captains Career Course. Specifically, the SJTs were developed to assess two different echelons of command - company command competencies and battalion staff competencies. Results from 138 officers (primarily Captains) demonstrated that the best fitting models for both SJTs were ones in which adaptive skill and task performance were separate constructs. These findings are useful for instructors in that they provide specific guidance regarding the modules that reflect performance in either adaptive or routine decision-making contexts. Further, feedback was highly favorable due to the scenario-based nature of the questions; students felt challenged by having to apply knowledge learned throughout the course. These findings indicate that a SJT may be a practical and valid method for assessing leader adaptive and decision-making skills, especially when the data will be used to compare performance across individuals.

"September 2010"--T.p. "Fort Benning Research Unit"--T.p.

Introduction and background. SJT development -- leader performance dimensions: task performance and adaptive skill -- Present research / Company command competencies SJT validation. Method -- Results / Battalion staff competencies SJT validation. Method results / Discussion. Final SJTs -- SJT development and validation lessons learned -- Future research and practical implications -- Product use / Appendix A: company command competencies situational judgment test -- Appendix B: battalion staff competencies situational judgment test -- Appendix C: list of doctrinal sources -- Appendix D: acronyms and abbreviations.