01
Ambiguous stimulus assessments
Instruments that use controlled visual ambiguity — inkblots, abstract imagery, unstructured material — as the core assessment mechanism.
Independent certification body / established 2018
Certification standards for projective assessment systems.
PAG provides independent certification of construct parity, synthetic validation methods, and distributional audit standards for instruments that use ambiguous stimuli.
Scope
Projective assessments require a different validation approach.
PAG certifies instruments that measure how people interpret ambiguous material — inkblots, abstract imagery, unstructured visual prompts. These tools examine what a person projects onto unclear information, not what they already know.
02
Response and construct inference systems
Tools that measure not just what people say about ambiguous material, but how long it takes them, in what order, and what occupational traits are inferred from those patterns.
03
Distributional parity audits
Assessment systems where candidate score distributions are compared across demographic subgroups to detect construct instability or adverse impact.
Public Registry
Public certification registry.
PAG certifications are listed at instrument level. Each entry shows the certified scope, applicable standards, and audit basis.
| Client | Instrument | Scope | Standard | Level | Audit basis | Live data | Status | Audit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haldane Selection Systems | Interpretive Leadership Profile v4.2 | Executive Response Sequence | PAG-PAS-001 / PAG-CON-011 | Level 6 - Construct Boundary Stability | Synthetic population audit | Not required | Active | Jan 2025 |
| Obscura | Obscura Candidate Insight Engine | Core Projective Construct Suite | PAG-PAS-001 / PAG-AIR-009 | Level 9 - Core Construct Parity | Synthetic population audit | Not required | Active | Feb 2025 |
| Northbank Human Measurement | Role-Fit Inference Battery | Visual Inference and Latency | PAG-SYN-004 / PAG-AIR-009 | Level 5 - Distributional Equivalence | Synthetic population audit | Not required | Active | Dec 2024 |
| Civic Role Allocation Service | Municipal Suitability Index | Public-Facing Temperament Profile | PAG-SYN-004 / PAG-CON-011 | Level 3 - Interpretive Stability | Synthetic population audit | Not required | Active | Nov 2024 |
| Merrow Group | Leadership Pipeline Assessment v3 | Construct Boundary Suite | PAG-CON-011 | Level 4 - Preliminary Construct Parity | Synthetic population audit | Not required | Probationary | Oct 2024 |
Certification is maintained where all audited constructs remain at or above the approved adverse impact ratio threshold. Probationary instruments may submit evidence of remediation within 90 calendar days.
Method
Entirely synthetic. No live candidates.
PAG certification is based entirely on synthetic candidate populations. No live candidate data is collected, processed, or evaluated as part of any PAG audit.
PAG certification confirms that an instrument produces stable results across approved synthetic populations. It does not require access to live candidate responses.
Synthetic populations are constructed from published demographic data, client role definitions, and agreed assumptions about how different groups tend to respond. Each construct is tested against a minimum simulated population of 200,000 per group.
PAG does not evaluate individual candidates, predict job performance, or assess legal compliance. Those responsibilities remain with the organisation that deploys the instrument.
Standards
Standards catalogue.
PAG standards are maintained under the Document Control Protocol (PAG-DOC-002). Revision histories are available to certified clients on request.
| Code | Title | Revision | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAG-PAS-001 | Projective Assessment System Certification | Rev. 4 / Mar 2025 | Active |
| PAG-SYN-004 | Synthetic Candidate Population Generation | Rev. 2 / Aug 2024 | Active |
| PAG-AIR-009 | Adverse Impact Ratio Thresholding | Rev. 3 / Jan 2025 | Active |
| PAG-CON-011 | Construct Boundary Stability | Rev. 2 / Nov 2024 | Active |
| PAG-SEC-007 | Restricted Technical Materials and Section 7 Access | Rev. 2 / Sep 2024 | Active |
| PAG-IND-001 | Independence Charter | Rev. 2 / Sep 2024 | Active |
| PAG-DOC-002 | Document Control Protocol | Rev. 1 / Jan 2024 | Active |
Clients
What certification means to deploying organisations.
PAG's synthetic validation framework allowed us to confirm construct stability before deploying our instrument to any candidates. The documentation supported our internal review and gave our psychometric team a clear audit trail.
Haldane Selection Systems
Director of Product
We selected PAG for the depth of their AIR methodology and the structure of their restricted materials review. Their standards gave our team a clear validation baseline to work from.
Northbank Human Measurement
Head of Psychometric Standards
Independent certification was a non-negotiable requirement for our public-facing instrument. PAG's framework gave us a defensible validation basis without the cost and time of a full live candidate study.
Civic Role Allocation Service
Director of Assessment
The certification process was structured and thorough. PAG's committee reviews surfaced construct boundary issues we had not identified internally, and the remediation pathway was clear.
Merrow Group
Head of Selection Science
Updates
Recent activity.
Feb 2025
Obscura Candidate Insight Engine certified at Level 9 (Core Construct Parity).
Jan 2025
Haldane Selection Systems Interpretive Leadership Profile v4.2 certified at Level 6.
Dec 2024
Northbank Human Measurement Role-Fit Inference Battery certified at Level 5.
Nov 2024
Civic Role Allocation Service Municipal Suitability Index certified at Level 3.
Oct 2024
Merrow Group Leadership Pipeline Assessment v3 placed on probationary status pending remediation.
Sep 2024
PAG-SEC-007 Rev. 2 published. PAG-IND-001 Rev. 2 published. Restricted materials access protocols and Independence Charter updated following the 2024 governance review.
Aug 2024
Greyline Assessment Partners Candidate Temperament Battery certification revoked. Non-compliance with PAG-AIR-009 remediation timeline.
Mar 2024
PAG-PAS-001 Rev. 4 published.
References
Methodology foundations.
Sources
- Croft, A. W. (1971). The classification of ambiguous stimuli. Institute for Projective Sciences.
- Voss, H. M. (1976). Full Inkblot Matrix: Field classification notes, 1973–1976. Institute for Perceptual Studies. Restricted archive.
- Taneja, R. S. (1982). Cross-population variance in projective response distributions. University of Chicago, Department of Psychometric Method.
- Croft, J., March, C., & Voss-Hartley, A. (2016). Perceptual consistency in non-clinical populations: Observations from game-based inkblot response data. Unpublished working paper. IPS Archive.