Aptitude Testing

What is an Aptitude Test?

An aptitude test is a test designed to measure a person's potential ability to perform an activity of a specialized kind.

What is the difference between aptitude, skill and proficiency ?

Skill is the ability to perform a given act with ease and precision. Proficiency has almost the same meaning, except that it is more comprehensive. It not only includes skill in certain motor and manual activities, but also in other type of activities as shown by the extent of one's competence in language, history, economics, mathematics. We can speak of one's degree of proficiency in any type of performance.

Aptitude, on the other hand means the capacity to acquire proficiency under appropriate conditions, i.e. a person's potentialities at present, as revealed by his/ her performance on selected tests that have predictive value.

When we speak of a person's aptitude for a specified activity, we do not make any assumptions regarding the degree to which it depends upon natural talent or whether it has been acquired by prior training.

Why are Aptitudes Tested?

An aptitude test is given to an individual in order to obtain a measure of his/ her promise or essential "teachability" in a given area. Aptitude testing is one tool for educational/ career selection. It can help you find where your aptitudes lie, and why certain occupations may be more suitable to you than others.
The more the information available to you, the better your decision will be. This can help you marry your interests, academic achievements, aptitudes and personality characteristics. But the most important thing is knowing yourself, knowing your own strong points. You should formulate your goals based on this knowledge.