Evaluating the tailored adaptive personality assessment system on delayed entry program attrition

• Main Author: Turpin, Adam R.
• Other Authors: Pema, Elda
• Published: Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School 2014
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/41454

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. === The Tailored Adaptive Personality Assessment System (TAPAS) was a test administered from March 2011 to March 2013 by the U.S. Navy to assess the non-cognitive skills of potential recruits. The TAPAS test aims to assess various aspects of recruit behavior that are not captured by typical screening tests, such as schooling and the Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) along with other observable characteristics measured at entry. This thesis estimates whether the TAPAS scores predict recruit attrition in the Delayed Entry Program (DEP), while controlling for schooling, AFQT scores, and demographics. Indeed, the analysis finds that several TAPAS facets are significant predictors of attrition behavior. In particular, dominance, intellectual efficiency, order, adventure seeking, commitment to serve, and situational awareness are significant predictors of DEP attrition. Additionally, conduct waivers proved to be significant predictors of DEP attrition, with alcohol and drug waivers having the largest effects.