Purdue Precision Test: what it is, functions, and how it is applied

This tool was designed for personnel selection, but today it is used in the clinical setting.

Have you heard of the Purdue Precision Test? As its name suggests, the Purdue accuracy test is a test that allows to evaluate the accuracy of the movements of the person who performs it.

It is a tool designed in the 50's and was initially used in personnel selection for those jobs where coordination and dexterity were required, but today it is used in the field of psychotherapy.

Here we will know the characteristics of the Purdue precision test, the material required to perform it, the parts and what the test consists of, as well as how to evaluate it and its possible uses.

What is the Purdue accuracy test?

The Purdue Precision Test is a test developed by the industrial psychologist Joseph Tiffinat the Department of Industrial Psychology at Purdue University in the United States.

This test test evaluates coordination as well as two types of manual activity: gross finger movementsIt evaluates coordination as well as two types of manual activity: gross movements of the fingers and arms and fine digital dexterity. On the one hand, it evaluates hand-eye coordination, and on the other hand, it evaluates surface movements of the arms, hands and fingers, and tests the fingertip in relation to finer and more precise movements.

To perform the Perdue precision test, a series of essential physical elements are required, which we will see below.

Equipment to perform it

The Purdue precision test has the following elements.

1. A wooden board

This wooden board has two columns. Each of these columns consists of 25 holes of approximately half a centimeter in diameter.

At the top of the columns there will be 4 cavities for a specific number of dowels, tubes and washers, distributed as follows: at the ends (right and left) the dowels will be placed. In the center there are two positions to be occupied, which will be filled as follows: on the side of the dominant hand, the tubes will be placed, and on the side of the non-dominant hand, the washers will be placed.

2. A stopwatch

The stopwatch is essential to measure the time of each test.The stopwatch is essential to measure the time of each test that forms the Purdue Precision Test, and has an impact on the results of the test.

Parts of the test

The test consists of several parts, which are summarized here. In all of these parts, the following must be taken into account and informed the person who will have a short period of time to become familiar with the parts (tubes, washers and dowels) and to practice. (tubes, washers and pins) and practice. The Purdue Precision Test can be considered a tool for measuring patient progress.

Part I

With the dominant hand, as many pins as possible should be inserted within a time limit of 30 seconds.. The idea is to insert the pins as fast as possible. The exercise is timed, and in the case that a piece falls, you should not waste time looking for it, but pick up another one.

In this part what is valued is the coordination of the dominant hand.

2. Part II

This part of the test is the same as the first part, but with the difference that the non-dominant hand is used to perform the test.. So with the non-dominant hand, you must insert as many pegs as you can, within a time limit of 30 seconds.

The person is reminded that he/she must go as fast as he/she can, that he/she will be timed and that if he/she drops a piece, he/she should not waste time looking for it, but pick up another one. In this part what is valued is the coordination of the non-dominant hand.

3. Part III

This part follows the line of the two previous ones. In this case, the person must insert as many pegs as possible on both sides, with the use of both hands at the same timeThe time limit is 30 seconds.

Again, the person is reminded that he/she must go as fast as possible, that he/she will be timed and finally that if any piece falls out, he/she should not waste time looking for it, but pick up another one. In this part what is valued is the bimanual coordination.

4. Part IV

This last part consists of an assembly task.. The idea is to perform a coordinated and stipulated sequence consisting of: inserting a dowel - a washer - a tube - another washer. It should be done alternating the use of both hands and always starting with the dominant hand. For this exercise of the test you have 60 seconds.

In this last part of the test what is assessed is the bimanual coordination in an alternating way, so that the person will be explained that while one hand is inserting a piece, the other hand should be holding the next piece to be inserted..

Form of evaluation

The scores, and consequently the results of the Purdue accuracy test, are stipulated by the following parameters:

• For Part I and Part II, the score is the number of pins inserted during the 30 seconds of time given.
• For part III, the total number of pairs is counted.
• For part IV, both complete assemblies and single pieces are counted. So the number of complete assemblies will be multiplied by 4 (which are the pieces of which each assembly consists) and the loose pieces will be added.

With all this, variables such as sex, age, or pathologies of the patient are taken into account, so that the percentiles of each assembly are calculated.The percentiles of each person are then subordinated to these variables.

Uses and applications

There are several uses for the application of the Purdue Precision Test. Initially, when it was designed and created, it could be used in personnel selection processes, since it allowed to evaluate the ability of each person toThe Purdue Precision Test was originally designed and developed to assess fingerprinting ability as well as manual accuracy.

These skills are important in fine parts handling jobs, sewing machines, production lines, assembly, and maintenance for example.

But its field of applicability is linked more to the psychotherapeutic field.It is used in brain damage and brain injury tests, for those people who are going to perform movement therapies (as a tool to evaluate the patient's evolution), for the diagnosis of learning disabilities, to evaluate vocational rehabilitation needs, and also in diagnosis for people with dyslexia.

On the other hand,** it is a test of special interest in occupational therapies**, which are those therapies in which various activities are performed.

These therapies are aimed at people with limitations due to physical damage or illness, disabilities or cultural deficiencies, and their objective is to maximize the independence of these people, as well as to prevent future disabilities and to maintain good health.