The job has changed drastically

your employment tests should

reflect these changes!
 What is CritiCall?
CritiCall is a nationally validated,
computerized pre-employment selection
test for choosing successful public-safety
dispatchers and call-takers
CritiCall is designed to address the
federal Uniform Guidelines on Employee
Selection Procedure and the CALEA
Standards for Public Safety
Communications Agencies
 CritiCall can
tell if your job
applicants can
actually
perform
important job-
related tasks
 CritiCall Testing can
Reduce Adverse Impact: Work-sample
testing has been shown to reduce adverse
impact against protected groups of
employees in some settings
Lower Turnover: Persons selected using
work-sample testing frequently stay on the
job longer
Measure the right skills for todays
communication center: The important job-
related skills measured by CritiCall do not
require any previous telecommunicator job
experience or special training on the part of
the applicant
 CritiCall was created by the
Biddle Consulting Group (BCG)
BCG is a Human Resource Consulting
company with over 30 years experience
assisting public safety agencies in
selecting their employees
BCG has extensive experience in
computerized testing and product
support
BCG provides a wide range of Equal
Employment Opportunity services to
clients nationwide
 CritiCall is based on a
National Job Analysis Study
CritiCall was first developed and validated in
a nationwide study involving 49 agencies
from 12 states, varying in size and type
State, County, City, Local, Regional, University
Police, Fire, Ambulance, and Cross-Functional
Communication Centers
Since then, CritiCall
has been adopted
and validated by
hundreds of public
safety agencies
 Oregon Department of Public Safety
Standards and Training has approved CritiCall
for the hiring of telecommunicators and/or
emergency medical dispatchers

California Peace Officer Standards & Training

(POST) Standards Section 1018[c] indicates that
acceptable alternatives, such as CritiCall, can
be used for pre-employment testing of public-
safety telecommunicators instead of the POST
test
The U. S. Department of Homeland Security
has chosen CritiCall Pre-employment
Testing Software for testing emergency-
dispatch job applicants at the four Federal
Protective Service E-9-1-1 mega centers.
9-1-1 Magazine, April 2005
 One Texas city
reported it cost
$88,000 for the
Selecting the wrong recruitment, testing,
person can be very
expensive!
selection, training,
and probationary
supervision of a single
dispatcher
 You can reduce turnover
using CritiCall
Research indicates that 80% of newly
hired telecommunicators who leave
before finishing probation leave
because they had inadequate job-
related knowledge, skills, and abilities
CritiCall measures important
knowledge, skills, and abilities needed
to be a successful employee prior to
hire!
A comment from a satisfied CritiCall user

In 2000, before we started using CritiCall, we successfully

trained and retained only 15% of our new hires. In mid 2001
we started using CritiCall and our retention rate rose to 54%.
In 2002 we did even better, and retained 86% of our new
hires. And, believe it or not, in 2003 we had a 100%
retention rate. We have a lower number of new hires in 2003
due to the successes of the previous year, but for an agency
that employs 60 plus dispatchers well stand behind our record
anytime. CritiCall was definitely not the only change we
made to our hiring and training practices, but I consider it
to be one of the most integral parts. Thanks again for a great
product and feel free to call on me anytime!
Susan Koch, Training Coordinator, Washington County 911, OR

We will gladly provide references upon request!

 CritiCalls System Administrator Program

JUST CHOOSE & CLICK

CritiCall screen-shot

With just the click of the

mouse, you can access all of
CritiCalls many features!
 CritiCalls built-in Test
Creation Wizard makes it a
snap to choose those test
modules that are appropriate
for the job as it exists in your
agency
 Easy to Customize

You can easily

customize many
areas of CritiCall

CritiCall screen-shot

Its a snap to customize the

test administration features
 CritiCall screen-shot

APPLICANTS JUST
SIGN ON AND GO!

CritiCall is self-administering
and self-scoring! The applicant
just signs on and takes the test.
 Re-Testing is
Safe and Easy
There are three versions of every
CritiCall test module
CritiCall automatically administers
a different version of the test each
time an applicant takes the test
Applicants who re-test are never given
the same test two times in a row!
 CritiCall has tests that
measure the ability to
Quickly & accurately enter data copied
from a page and/or heard on a headset
Make decisions and perform more than
one task at a time (multi-tasking)
Compare / Contrast data
Listen to calls and summarize or answer
questions about the calls
Use information from an alphabetized list
Prioritize
Plus
 CritiCall also has tests that
measure the ability to
Read maps and understand directions
Determine most likely events
Read and comprehend written text
Accurately spell easily-confused words
e.g., The doctor has lots of patience vs.
The doctor has lots of patients.
Identify clearly-written phrases
Perform job-related Math
and more!
Another comment from a satisfied CritiCall user

Our agency uses the CritiCall program as a pre-

hire testing format and it has enabled us to find and
hire the most qualified applicants. Being able to
hire the most qualified individuals for the dispatch
center has allowed us to spend our training budget
more wisely. I would recommend the use of
CritiCall to other agencies looking for pre-hire
testing formats.
Cynthia L. Geiger
Training Coordinator, Berks County Communications Center

We will gladly provide references upon request!

 You can also develop &
administer your own test
questions for Promotion or
Training Testing with CritiCall
 CritiCall screen-shot

CritiCalls Validation Wizard feature

automatically guides your agency
through a basic content-related
validation study of the job-relatedness of
CritiCall testing by asking your
experienced employees a series of simple
questions
 CritiCall Report

CritiCall uses the information from

the Validation Wizard to create an
extensive report, which can be
presented as evidence of job-
relatedness and non-discrimination
 CritiCall Never
Becomes Outdated
CritiCall is constantly updated to
meet the ever-changing needs of the
Public Safety Communications
Community
 Outstanding
Service and Support
With every CritiCall system, for
the first full year you receive
Complimentary software upgrades
Complimentary software updates
Unlimited toll-free telephone support
Another comment from a satisfied CritiCall user
We couldn't be more impressed with the test. It simulates our
work environment so closely and weeds out people who wouldn't be able
to handle the our jobs. I love the fact that the stress factor is there,
because that is what it's like to answer multiple phones, multiple officers
on the radio, run tags, enter a call, and continue to our jobs. We have
invited several surrounding agencies to come and see the test and if it is
something that could help out in their centers.
We have been using it to test for about the last year and our turn-over
rate is at 0% for the ones we hired using CritiCall. This has cut down the
people we bring into our hiring process which saves us time, and saves
our Detectives time on backgrounds. The hiring process is lengthy
enough, we want to be sure the people we are spending the time on have
an above average chance of making it in our field.
Thank you so much for creating something that has positively
affected our center. I would highly recommend CritiCall to anyone
needing a new way to test.
Gale Pruett, Communications Supervisor,
Franklin Police Department, TN
We will gladly provide references upon request!
 CritiCalls consultants support the public-
safety community by contributing
articles to publications such as the
National Journal of Emergency Dispatch,
9-1-1 Magazine, Public Safety
Communications (APCO), Emergency
Number Professional (NENA), and other
magazines and journals about personnel
selection and other organizational issues
 CritiCall representatives present
educational sessions at
national/regional communications
conferences such as APCO, NENA, and
the National Academy of Emergency
Dispatch (Navigator)
CritiCall products and services are
proudly exhibited at national and
regional conferences
CritiCall Users Group meetings are
held at the national public-safety
telecommunication conferences
Another comment from a satisfied CritiCall user

CritiCall covers each of these key areas for us and

is a very realistic simulation of our dynamic
environment, not to mention it requires very little to
no time to administer and is very easy to implement.
I just wanted to let you know how pleased we are
with CritiCall. I will gladly share the word with
others considering your product and you are
welcome to add me to your reference list.

Cindy Thomas
RESPONSE Services Center, Columbia, Maryland

We will gladly provide references upon request!

 In Summary, CritiCall
Uses a combination of work-sample and
other testing to measure computer-
related and many other skills that are
needed prior to the first day on the job
Is virtually self-administering and self-
scoring
Can lower turnover / save money
Can decrease training & supervision time
Is easily validated specifically for your
agency
Can be used to create your own tests
 Bona-fide public-safety
agencies can obtain a free
demonstration version of
CritiCall to review by
calling
800-999-0438
 Did you know?

CritiCall also
offers optional
personality
testing
specifically
tailored for
public-safety
dispatcher and
calltaker
applicants
 Thank you!
Please call us at 800-999-0438
for more information

Pre-Employment Testing
Software
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Or visit the CritiCall website at criticall911.com