Aptitude tests are now commonly used by both national and international companies to determine a candidate’s worth to their organisation. They help in determining whether he or she is a good fit for them and if they can be a boon to the company.
What are aptitude tests?
In a nutshell, they measure a person’s affinity or inclination towards a certain subject, field or activity. These tests help employers know more about you and specifically, what they need to know. In short, taking an aptitude test increases your ‘employability’ in the eyes of the hiring personnel because it quantifies your skills in every area.
Aptitude tests are a type of psychometric tests which were originally devised in the 20th century to explore educational psychology. Now, however, they are used outside the scope of education by recruiters for the selection process of candidates.
The tests help them shortlist the most suited candidates for the job as they evaluate a candidate’s personality traits, aptitude, intelligence and provide answers to questions such as – Are you a team player? Can you handle pressure? Do you work well with your peers? Do you work well with authority? Can you handle the intellectual demands of the job? Are you a problem solver?
The popularity of psychometric tests is on the rise all over the world and companies from all sectors are now subscribing to them as a reliable screening mechanism. Information technology, management consultancies, local authorities, police forces, financial institutions, armed forces etc. are all exploiting the benefits of these tests.
Types of Aptitude tests
There are a lot of aptitude tests now available in the market. Each of them is structured differently and caters to different sectors. An aptitude test can cover the following abilities:
Numerical Ability:
This type of test covers evaluation of number sequences and basic maths such as powers, percentages, fractions etc. and basic arithmetic such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. It is a part of most aptitude tests even if it is not a major part of the position in question. Most recruiters look for candidates with a certain level of numeric ability.
In fact, a measure of numerical ability is part of the AMCAT Test – quantative ability. You can read more about it here.
Verbal Ability:
This type of test covers grammar, ability to follow detailed instructions and verbal analogies. It may also include sentence correction/alteration, comprehension and spelling. It is also found to be a part of most aptitude tests as it is an indicator of your command over language.
A measure of grammar is covered in the English section of the AMCAT Test. Meanwhile, SVAR is an offering for spoken skills.
Spatial ability:
This type of test is used to assess your ability to think about a two-dimensional object as a three-dimensional object and draw inferences from that information. For example, identifying the incorrect cube from a set of options. This type of test is only included in role specific tests where spatial reasoning is a requirement.
Fault diagnosis:
This type of test is specifically used for technical jobs to assess people on their ability to find and fix problems in electronic and mechanical systems. As the world around us becomes increasingly dependent on technology that uses electronic control systems, it has become important to have an ecosystem where people know how to find a problem and its logical solution.
Mechanical Reasoning:
This type of test is geared towards the technical and engineering positions. It measures a candidate’s capability to apply mechanical principles in problem-solving.
There are more aptitude tests like abstract reasoning, data checking, work sample etc. that are available to recruiters depending upon the position they’re hiring for. Some of the benefits of using these tests include negation of cultural effects as they nullify any cultural advantage a candidate might have by putting everyone on a levelled playing field, standardisation, filtering out of unsuitable candidates and providing reliable data that can be quantified and compared vis-à- vis traditional interviews.
These tests aren’t just a tool for the recruiters; you can use them to better understand your own abilities, strengths and weaknesses. This will help you in finding a job best suited to you, where you can fit in easily and maximise your efficiency. With the help of these tests, you can stop looking for opportunities in places where you don’t belong and find your place in the world.
