What Is an Aptitude Test?
An aptitude test is an exam used to determine an individual's skill or propensity to succeed in a given activity. Aptitude tests assume that individuals have inherent strengths and weaknesses and have a natural inclination toward success or failure in specific areas based on their innate characteristics. Aptitude tests are generally used for job placement, college program entry, and to help people to get an idea of where their interests and aptitudes can take them regarding careers.Key Takeaways
- An aptitude test is used to determine an individual's abilities, assessing how they are likely to perform in an area in which they have no prior training or knowledge.
- Schools use aptitude tests to determine if students are inclined toward advanced placement classes or specific areas of study, such as engineering or a foreign language.
- Human resources departments at some companies will use career assessment tests to learn about a potential candidate's strengths and weaknesses.
- An aptitude test does not test knowledge or intelligence, only a particular skill or propensity. Therefore, it is not a test for which a person can study.
Understanding Aptitude Tests
Aptitude tests can be used to determine your capabilities in a variety of subjects. For example, individuals may take an aptitude test to determine the careers that are a good match for their skills and interests. Similarly, high school students may take an aptitude test when thinking about what would be an appropriate college major or whether college is the best choice for them.
In general, aptitude tests measure one's competence in logical reasoning, numerical skills, or verbal ability; competency can be evaluated through problem-solving tasks and testing one's critical thinking across various contexts.When You Might Take an Aptitude Test
Some schools administer aptitude tests to students beginning in elementary school. Combined with intelligence and achievement tests that measure student mastery of academic content, aptitude tests may be used to determine placement in gifted and talented programs or other specific educational tracks.Language Aptitudes
For example, the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) measures a student's potential for successfully mastering foreign languages. Aptitude tests can also help determine if a student needs special education services.
Older Students
For older students, Differential Aptitude Tests (DATs) assess a range of aptitudes from spatial relations to language usage. The results can help administrators make curricular recommendations.Curriculum Guidance
Counselors might use high scores in mechanical reasoning tests to guide students toward courses that prepare them for engineering or designing studies in college. For instance, students who score well in tests measuring speed, accuracy, and problem-solving might choose coursework in computer science, finance, or other fields requiring attention to detail.Hiring Decisions
Some companies use aptitude tests to help them make hiring decisions. These tests, called career assessment tests, help human resources (HR) personnel learn more about a prospective employee's strengths and weaknesses. Career assessment tests may also be used within a company to make promotion decisions.
Situational judgment tests are a specific kind of career aptitude test that can help predict how an employee might respond to specific situations in the workplace. They are also used to assess an employee's communication style and ability to work within a team.
Types of Aptitude Tests
Many types of aptitude tests are taken for educational or career discovery and ability purposes. The most common aptitude tests are:
- Mechanical reasoning: These types test your knowledge of physical concepts and are generally used to evaluate you for technical positions.
- Situational judgment: These tests gauge your reactions to situations and your decision-making.
- Diagrammatic/spatial reasoning: These tests see how well you can reach a conclusion based on processes contained in diagrams.
- Abstract reasoning: These measure problem-solving abilities and identify relationships between abstract arrays.
- Numerical reasoning: In these tests, your abilities with numbers, math, and data are tested.
- Verbal reasoning: Your language, reading comprehension, and vocabulary are tested in these types.
- Inductive reasoning: Under the pressure of time, these tests see how well you analyze patterns and data.
- Logical reasoning: Logical reasoning tests measure how well you recognize patterns and sequences and identify relationships between objects.
- Clerical aptitude: Clerical tests measure how fast and accurate you can be, seeing how well you can concentrate.
How to Pass an Aptitude Test
You might have heard that you can't prepare for an aptitude test, but nothing could be further from the truth. Study guides and practice aptitude tests are readily available online and in community or high school libraries.- Practice the test daily: Practicing every day gives you continuous exposure to the questions and answers and helps you identify weak spots.
- Learn the test format: Remembering the format helps you move through the test. It also allows you to identify areas you need to work on.
- Carefully read the instructions: When you take the test, don't dive into it. Instead, read all instructions and ensure you understand them, so you don't work through a section giving wrong answers.
- Manage your testing time: Answer the questions you know first. Then, go back and work on the more challenging questions.
What Is an Aptitude Test and an Example?
An aptitude test measures your capabilities in specific areas. One aptitude test most people hear of in high school is the Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). The ASVAB tests general science, arithmetic reasoning and mathematics, word knowledge, reading comprehension, mechanical comprehension, and more. The information is used to place applicants in job positions where they will have a better chance of succeeding.