First, the performance ratings used reflected departmental performance, not individual performance.
A Conceptual View of Human Resource Management: Strategic Objectives, Environments, Functions
A test may be judged valid if those with the highest test scores are also those with the highest performance ratings.
Human Resource Management in Government (1995)
Studies based on predictive validity seek to verify a relationship between the test scores of applicants and subsequent performance appraisal ratings.
Human Resource Management in Government (1995)