Generations of Assessment Tools

When evaluating the comparative advantages of various products, it is important to recognize the technological generations that produced each instrument. Just as an IBM 286 computer was once a leader in the marketplace, 1st and 2nd Generation assessment tools were important in the early days of the industry. However, just as the 286 computer has long since been eclipsed by newer machines with faster chips, the performance of older assessments has been far surpassed by a number of breakthrough instruments developed in the 1990's. It is not that the older tools stopped working, any more than the IBM 286 "stopped working". It is just that the accuracy and accessibility of the information provided by newer tools allows business an extraordinary range of options and applications never dreamed of with older, simpler products. The following chart is designed to illustrate the qualitative evolution of some of the more common assessment tools used in the United States and Canada.