The Work SuiteAptitude Assessment HomeCompanies/ProductsInformationProducts by FunctionAbout UsUsers Aptitude Assessment for Career and Educational Guidance MA Presented at Missouri "Building Bridges" Conference November 11, 2002 What is Aptitude Assessment? Resources and Links Suppose that two persons of equal intelligence have the same opportunities to learn a job or develop a skill. They attend the same on-the-job training or classes, study the same material, and practice the same length of time. One of them acquires the knowledge or skill easily; the other has difficulty and takes more time, if they ever master the skill. These two people differ in aptitude for this type of work or skill acquisition. Aptitude is variously defined as innate learning ability, the specific ability needed to facilitate learning a job, aptness, knack, suitability, readiness, tendency, natural or acquired disposition or capacity for a particular activity, or innate component of a competency. Aptitude assessments are used to predict success or failure in - by John F. Reeves, Click here to learn more about CareerScope® at the Vocational Research Institute web site: www.vri.org. You can read more about aptitude at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aptitude A quick description of Standardized Testing at http://lor.rrc.mb.ca/items/bb6c4ad1-b5e6-52ed-616334c77e85ff9d/1/Module3_HTML.zip/page_08.htm You can read more about Career Clusters at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Career_Clusters Good description of how aptitude connects to learning at: http://it.coe.uga.edu/~treeves/WebPaper.pdf Attitude versus Aptitude, by Côté and Levine, abstract at http://jar.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/15/1/58 Occupational Interests and Aptitudes of Juvenile Offenders: Influence of Special Education Experience and Gender http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4111/is_200712/ai_n21186 147/?tag=content;col1 General Learning Ability "G" score education referral recommendations in a scanned copy of the U.S. Department of Labor G.A.T.B. manual at: In 1995. CareerScope's "G" score has a . to be used with its new O*Net occupational classification system. For vocational/career guidance and planning they are used to measure different aptitudes such as general learning ability. which is accessed by going to page 255 or 436 in the pdf reader. Book chapter reviewing the GATB . A http://www. a PC and MacIntosh-based version of APTICOM was developed by VRI . aptitude assessment should logically precede achievement testing or skills assessment. Employment Service from 1942 to 1945 and used through to the 1990's for both job screening and career guidance. A . History of Aptitude Testing The General Aptitude Test Battery.T. course of study.B .G Score 100 o 4-year college . they make the following recommendations: o Junior college . verbal ability.S. with the O*NET Ability Profiler. was developed by the U.T.S. and other agencies who are required to make objective referrals are using CareerScope in lieu of the now-discontinued GATB. Many State Vocational Rehabilitation.G Score 120 The pages preceding 208 give more context for this application of the aptitude G scores.80 correlation is considered high.B.A. Department of Labor has attempted to replace the G.T.pdf On the printed page number 208. and clerical perception. For helping a person find and pursue a career. numerical ability.G Score 110 o Professional college .A.S.ed. Other aptitude tests such as APTICOM began to appear in the 1980's. or G. Veterans Administration.as opposed to selfreport inventories of abilities often found in computerized career exploration systems. Privately developed assessments such as CareerScope® already link with the O*Net system. Objective aptitude tests are based on timed subtests .A.an undertaking.gov/PDFS/ED164579. or work experience program. Department of Labor grant by the Vocational Research Institute. developed with a U.81 correlation to the GATB "G" score. spatial perception.B.eric. The U.called CareerScope®. APTICOM is a dedicated-computer replacement for the G.results are compared to age-group norms or other criteria . but not your potential or what your innate strengths are. this kind of assessment usually requires analyzing the requirements of individual local jobs to determine their requirements. assessing individual applicants to determine skills gaps. and make more things out of it . Skills Testing APTITUDE & SKILLS TESTS = APPLES & ORANGES An Interest and Aptitude assessment like CareerScope helps to objectively clarify what you would like to do and would likely succeed in. If you have not had much previous learning. testing the incumbents. It is used to objectively plan for future learning and work. and then perhaps providing training to close those gaps. given your previous learning. Aptitude vs. For helping individuals find a job or enter training. It is a career guidance test. skills assessments are often used as a screening test for employers (incumbent scores provide a criterion reference) and a prescriptive test for educators. Despite its backward focus.completely internet-delivered version of aptitude assessment. it can only tell you that you lack skills .like . called CareerScope Online®. Both kinds of assessments are useful (as are both apples and oranges. became available in fall 2009. but you can eat an apple right out of the box. A skills test tells you what you can do now. etc. a student who has not learned "the basics" in primary and secondary education . aptitude might be a better measure for showing potential. Aptitude vs.for any number of reasons .although they might have some catching up to do academically. Some argue that Skills become obsolete . Skills tests typically require a higher reading level. IQ Testing Aptitudes might be thought of as separate types of intelligence. Achievement Testing Aptitude tests are used to predict success in a career path or course of study. This can be of high . Achievement tests are designed to measure how much a person has already achieved or learned in academic knowledge. Achievement testing is becoming ever more important as the accountability increases to prove that students are learning. each perhaps having relative strength or weakness in an individual. But for guidance. Aptitude vs.but not Aptitudes. CareerScope can be taken with only a fourth grade reading ability. For instance.apple pie and apple sauce. make the comparative skills testing and any subsequent training more likely to produce a trained worker who is more likely to stay on the job.can still have the "aptitude" to do well in a career and related studies . Also. Assessing aptitude and interest first will help focus the job seeker.especially if they are interested .). value for determining what training or career to pursue. Two people with the same IQ might have very different scores for their individual aptitudes. by itself. but it is not a precise tool for career guidance. or "G" score. many educators have heard employers say something to the equivalent of. and word meanings. there are indications that attitude can outweigh aptitude in determining whether skills are attained. might have a high G score . average. numerical reasoning. While marketing skills assessment to the business community. but is not considered to be the same. Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is one score summarizing a person's overall intelligence based on a broad range of abilities. is an aptitude score based on three aptitude subtests: pattern recognition. or not smart. The GATB-related score for general learning ability. is correlated to IQ score. A person who scores very high on pattern recognition and word meanings. An IQ score will indicate that you are smart. A similar high IQ score. but low on numerical reasoning. would not indicate whether a person is strong or weak in numerical reasoning. "just give me a person with the right attitude. . and mathintensive occupations would seem as viable as any other. The G score. but a career counselor or automated career guidance system would not point them toward mathintensive occupations. in this case. Attitude Although it might sound counterintuitive to some. who will show up . Aptitude vs. . published in the Journal of Adolescent Research. O*Net Interest Profiler. by Côté and Levine.and stay on the job.S. Combining Interest and Aptitude for Guidance The results of an interest assessment can be combined with aptitude results to show types of work that a person would most likely enjoy and perform well. DOL Occupational Aptitude Pattern (OAP) and other extensive research relating to aptitude requirements for occupation categories." A study entitled Attitude versus Aptitude. and existing skills with the job goal. Since there are 12 categories. While Holland codes are the most often used in this country (Self-directed Search.) it is the GOE interest categories that tie directly to the U. etc. the GOE areas also give more precise definitions of the world of work. in addition to having good attitude. You can assess these attitudinal soft skills with tools like the Employment Inventory to find students or workers who will work hard and stay on the job longer. found that motivation was a better predictor than IQ for skills acquisition. but it still stands to reason that you would be far better off with a student or job candidate who aligns their aptitudes.S. Department of Labor: the six "Holland" type codes and the 12 "Guide for Occupational Exploration" (GOE) codes. Two models of interest groupings supported by the U. interests. and we'll train them. . S. Extensive research has already been done on determining which aptitudes are required for learning various types of work.try searching the internet for research on the ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery). and even the 1800 Career Specialties defined in the U.all focus on teaching skills and academics in the context of a field of work. If you are (still) really interested in aptitude testing . Department of Labor's Occupational Aptitude Patterns in the latest versions of CareerScope® . DOE system.S. Career Academies. the Career Pathway subsets. The military relies heavily on aptitude testing for determining enlistment eligibility and job placement.allowing reports that show a student's interest and "aptness" for the 16 Career Clusters. . perhaps because of the advantage that aptitude testing provides our military. but these reports are now unavailable to the public.Aptitude and Career Clusters The potential benefit of aptitude testing for placement in Career Clusters is an exciting development. The U. Small Learning Communities .S. Department of Education's 16 Career Clusters are tied directly to the U. Career Clusters. A comprehensive paper on ASVAB was at the National Assessment Governing Board's site. . resources. and prospects in different lines of work.wikipedia." (Choosing a Vocation p. and good pay. who said. and it annoys the pig. it's a waste of your time ." -Quote Attributed to Robert Heinlein CareerScope Users click here to return to the CareerScope . . 3) true reasoning on the relations of these two groups of facts. you should also know about Frank Parsons. ambitions. interests. opportunities.org/wiki/Fran k_Parsons Last word: as heard at a seminar on corporate training strategy: "Never try to teach a pig to sing . if you have read all this way. limitations and their causes. unenthusiastic and perhaps distasteful labor. while an occupation in harmony with the nature of the man means enthusiasm. back in the 1890's: "In the wise choice of vocation there are three broad factors: 1) a clear understanding of your self. and low pay. advantages and disadvantages. 3) Any good library should have a biography written about Frank Parsons . . your aptitudes. compensation." and "An occupation out of harmony with the worker's aptitudes and capacities means inefficiency. 2) a knowledge of the requirements and conditions of success. . love of work. and high economic values-superior product. abilities. efficient service.and a short bio can be found at http://en.Okay. 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