Which appraisal method ranks employees from best to worst on some trait?

• A. Forced Distribution Method
• B. Ranking Method
• C. Critical Incident Method
• D. Essay Method

Answer: (B)

Ranking employees from best to worst on a trait involves ordering individuals by how they perform relative to each other on that trait. This creates a clear ladder of performance, making it easy to spot top performers and those who need development or replacement. It’s a relative measure, focusing on comparisons rather than assessing against a fixed standard, which is why it’s well suited to deciding promotions, bonuses, or targeted coaching based on overall standing.

Keep in mind this approach can be subjective, since different evaluators may rank similarly but for different reasons. It also can affect morale if the ranking feels unfair, and it doesn’t show how big the gaps are between adjacent ranks. Other methods focus on documented behaviors or narratives or push employees into predefined performance groups, rather than producing an ordered list.