Technical manuals
Each test on Match.hr is meant to have a technical manual: one document that sets out what the test measures, how it was built and how much evidence supports each use. We publish them test by test, as the evidence becomes available.
Manuals are published per test once the evidence is in. Until then, the psychometric label shows what is known so far.
What a manual contains
The structure follows the questions a careful reviewer would ask, in the same order for every test, so manuals can be compared.
- Purpose and intended use, and the uses it is not meant for
- The construct and its theoretical basis
- Development: how items were written, tried out and selected
- Items and scales, with example items
- Scoring, and how raw scores become standard scores
- Norms: groups, size, composition, country and date
- Reliability: internal consistency, test–retest and the standard error of measurement
- Validity: factor structure, convergent and criterion validity
- Fairness: DIF and measurement invariance, where lawful
- Language versions and how they were adapted
- Version history
- Limits: what the scores can and cannot tell you
The label summarises, the manual explains
The psychometric label is the one-page summary of a test. The manual is the full account behind it, and each figure on the label refers back to a section of the manual.
- The label shows the current figures; the manual explains how they were obtained
- Figures are recalculated as administrations grow, and the manual records which dataset they come from
- When a figure changes materially, the version history says so
Our review criteria follow the structure of the COTAN and EFPA test review models. Match.hr is not affiliated with or endorsed by either organisation.
Numerical reasoning
Example- Intended use
- Selection, development
- Reliability (ω)
- 0.89
- Norm sample
- 12,482
- Languages validated
- EN, NL, DE
- Fairness analysis
- Completed
- Last analysis
- October 2026
Who reads a manual
HR and assessment professionals
To check whether a test fits the decision you want to make, and which norm group applies to your candidates.
Psychologists and reviewers
To judge the method, the norms and the evidence against the criteria you already use for test review.
Works councils and privacy officers
To see what is measured, how and with which limits, before a test is introduced in an organisation.
How a manual comes about
Collect the documentation
The test developer or publisher supplies the construct, the development history, the items and the scoring. The Lab fills in what it can verify itself.
Analyse the data
Once there are enough administrations, the Lab calculates reliability, structure and norms, and fairness where that is lawful and the groups are large enough.
Write and review
The Lab writes the manual. For the External review level, an independent psychologist reads and comments on it.
Publish and maintain
The manual goes live with the test and gets a new dated version when items, scoring, norms or evidence change.
What a manual is not
A manual reports evidence; it is not a certificate. Sections such as criterion validity or fairness across groups can stay incomplete for a long time, because they need large samples or outcome data. The manual says so rather than filling the gap with assumptions. For tests from external publishers, the manual is based on their documentation and on the data collected on Match.hr.
Frequently asked questions
Can I read a manual before I use a test?
Yes, where one has been published: it is linked from the test. For tests without a manual yet, the psychometric label shows the evidence so far, and you can ask us what documentation exists. We would rather tell you that something has not been studied than leave you to assume it has.
Does the manual include the full item set?
No. To protect the test, the manual describes the items and scales and shows example items, but not the complete set. Reviewers who need the items can discuss access under a confidentiality agreement, with the permission of the rights holder.
Can the Lab write a manual for my own test?
Yes. A technical manual you can publish is part of a full validation study, and the Lab can also write one from existing research and data where that is sufficient. The manual describes your test; ownership and where it may be published are agreed beforehand.
How often is a manual updated?
Whenever the evidence changes materially: new norms, a new language version, or a change in items or scoring. Each version is dated and kept, so an organisation can see which version applied when it used the test.
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