Annie Murphy Paul, author of "The Cult of Personality," which is about the testing industry, said there is a real danger of stigmatizing people who fail certain components of tests. "If we are labeling people liars and thieves even before they have seen any propensity for them to do these things, it is a real injustice," she said.

The company that developed Universal's test, Unicru Inc., is among the giants in the employment-testing industry. Last year, the Beaverton, Ore., company assessed 11 million applicants, which resulted in 550,000 hires by retailers, grocers, trucking companies and others. Christopher Reed, director of marketing for Unicru, compares the firm's mission to that of a dating site. "Just like they are trying to match up potential mates, we are basically making a prediction of whether someone is a good fit or not for a job," he said. The firm said its tests have been validated time and again by their success at companies.

Michael L. Marchetti, executive vice president for store operations for the Indianapolis-based Finish Line Inc. chain of sporting-goods stores, said company policy prohibits managers from hiring any candidate who received a "red" rating.

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"When you see 70 to 80 percent coming back 'green,' why take somebody that's a risk?" he said.

Universal is among those that will consider hiring someone with a low score. Kay Straky, vice president for human relations for Universal Studios Hollywood, said tests are specific to each job. For example, those applying for a sales might also get questions about basic math skills and honesty, while those seeking positions as drivers might be asked about safety. All, however, measure customer service and dependability

"We need people to be able to smile at work and show up to work. . . . When people come into the park, we want it to be a really positive experience," Straky said.

The company's recruiting office, where the TV sets play Universal movies like "Shrek 2" nonstop throughout the day, is filled with computers. Each day, dozens of job hopefuls line up to take the online test.

They know the odds are against them: Out of more than 20,000 applicants last year, the company hired 1,900, which represents an admissions rate lower than that for Harvard University.

Travis Beavers, 25, who had recently graduated from City College of San Francisco, was applying for a line-cook job. He said he found the online test fun but long and "kind of confusing" because it was often difficult for him to decide how to differentiate between "strongly agree" and "agree" or "disagree" and "strongly disagree."

Veronica Garcia, a film major who was hoping to work as a sales associate, said she thought part of the reason for the test was to gauge an applicant's patience. The test took her more than an hour to complete, she said, because her "computer was acting up."

As the candidates sat in the waiting room, a recruiter began to review printouts of their assessment results. Some who came in that day looked like they might work out -- others less so. One candidate who wanted to be a dishwasher rated 35 for customer service and 47 for dependability. A rating of "yellow." This person was less likely "to maintain a good mood," the computer cautioned. Another was applying to be a theater attendant and had strong previous experience but scored 10 for customer service, 13 for dependability. A "red" rating. This person might "be quiet or even unfriendly" and might tend to "waste time."

Straky agreed that the person probably was not a good match for Universal. "People come to us because they think it's a fun job, and it is, but it's also a hard job. They have to be very dedicated. In the summer it's 100 degrees and the beach is beckoning just a few miles away."

Staff researcher Richard Drezen contributed to this report.

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