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Definition

Composite score

A single score combining several weighted assessment components, used to rank candidates on a common scale.

Last reviewed

In practice

The weights are the entire argument. A composite that weights an interview at 70 per cent is making a strong claim about what predicts performance in that role, and it should be a claim someone chose deliberately rather than a default nobody looked at.

Recording the weights alongside the score matters as much as the score itself. A composite whose weighting was not stored cannot be reconstructed, which means it cannot be explained to a candidate, defended to a regulator, or compared to a composite from last quarter.

Components are rarely independent. A candidate who tests well often interviews well, so a composite can count one underlying ability twice and present it as corroboration. Reading the components separately is a partial defence.

  • Structured interview

    An interview in which every candidate is asked the same predetermined questions and their answers are scored against a rubric defined in advance.

  • Selection rate

    The proportion of candidates from a given group who pass a particular stage of a hiring process.

  • Human in the loop

    A requirement that a person makes or can meaningfully change an automated decision, rather than reviewing it after the fact or approving it as a formality.

How CalHire handles this: Composite scoring and blind ranking