Selection outcomes under banding are affected by characteristics of the selection system and the applicant pool. This study examined the effects of eight parameters on the proportions hired from higher‐ and lower‐scoring groups: (a) selection ratio; (b) reliability; (b) fixed vs. sliding bands; (d) top‐down vs. random within‐band selection; (e) preferential vs. nonpreferential selection; (f) mean differences; (g) standard deviation differences; and (h) proportion of applicants from the lower‐scoring group. Simulation results were analyzed in a fully‐crossed eight‐way ANOVA. Higher‐order interactions among selection system and applicant pool characteristics had virtually no effect on selection outcomes; the proportion of the applicant pool from the lower‐scoring group accounted for nearly half the variance in out‐comes. Other important effects are, in order, the effects of standard deviation differences, mean differences, preferential hiring, and the selection ratio. Applicant pool characteristics have considerably more influence on selection outcomes than do selection sys