Is Aptitude a Myth?

The fact that one can prepare and improve their score on almost all types of aptitude tests raises an important question. Does what they call aptitude tests really measure your aptitude level? Let’s review the definition of what aptitude is.

An aptitude test is, generally, any test designed to measure one’s potential for achievement. The word aptitude is sometimes misused to mean ‘ability’ or ‘achievement’; however, there is a subtle difference between the three words aptitude, ability and achievement, which can be distinguished as follows:
• aptitude – how quickly or easily you will be able to learn in the future;
• ability – what you are able to demonstrate in the present;
• achievement – what you have accomplished in the past.
There are nine different types of aptitude, which may be summarized
as follows:
• General learning: learning and understanding, reasoning and making judgements. Example: how well we achieve at school.
• Verbal aptitude: general lexical skills – understanding words and using them effectively.
• Numerical aptitude: general mathematical skills – working with numbers quickly and accurately.
• Spatial aptitude: understanding geometric forms, and the understanding and identification of patterns and their meaning. Example: understanding how to construct a flatpack piece of furniture from a set of instructions.
• Form perception: inspecting and perceiving details in objects, and making visual comparisons between shapes. Examples:
studying an object under a microscope, and quality inspection of goods.
• Clerical perception: reading, analysing and obtaining details from written data or tabulated material. Examples: proofreading,
analysing reports and understanding graphs.
• Motor coordination: eye and hand coordination, and making quick and accurate rapid movement responses. Examples: actually being able to assemble the flat-pack piece of furniture once you have understood how it should be done, being able
to operate a computer keyboard quickly and accurately, and sporting skills.
• Finger dexterity: manipulating small objects quickly and accurately. Examples: playing a musical instrument, and sewing.
• Manual dexterity: the skill of being able to work with your hands. Examples: painting and decorating, building things
and operating machinery.

In the case of most aptitude tests there is usually a set time limit, which must be strictly adhered to in order for the test to be valid,
and there is usually an average score that has been standardized in comparison with the scores of a group of people who have
taken the same test.

In sum, either aptitude itself a fluid concept and it can be influenced through learning and practice OR no one really has a pure aptitude but what we have is hybrid form of constantly evolving ability combined with only minimal innate abilities.

Regardless of which one of the above is really true, you can always improve your test by using one or more of our aptutorials (aptitude test tutorials).

http://www.graduatemonkey.com

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What is Abstract (aka Logical or Inductive) Reasoning Test?

The aptitudes and abilities assessed by verbal and numerical reasoning tests can readily be applied to real world jobs and positions, as many professional and even some non-professional tasks demand some skill with numbers and text. However, abstract reasoning tests, also known as logical or inductive reasoning assessment, appear to be made up of questions which  have little to do with applications in the real world. Yet these types of question come up in most graduate and management aptitude tests. So what is the use of these AR tests?

Abstract reasoning tests date back to the research done by the psychologist Charles Spearman in the 1920’s. Spearman used a statistical technique called factor analysis to examine relationships between people’s scores on different types of intelligence (IQ) tests.

He concluded that people who do well on some intelligence tests also do well on others (e.g. vocabulary, mathematics, spatial abilities, etc). Similarly, if people did poorly on one intelligence test, they also tended to do poorly on other intellectual tests. This led him to believe that there are one or more factors that are common to all intellectual tasks. As a result of this research, Spearman developed a two-factor theory of intelligence.

As the diagram above illustrates, Spearman said that intelligence mainly consists of “g” with bright people having a lot, and dull people having less. Spearman defined “g” as:

“the innate ability to perceive relationships and educe co-relationships”

If we replace the word “educe” with “determine” then you can understand why abstract reasoning questions are viewed to be a good measure of general intelligence, as they test your ability to perceive relationships and then to work out any co-relationships without you requiring any knowledge of language or mathematics.

Abstract reasoning tests use diagrams, symbols or shapes instead of words or numbers. They involve identifying the underlying logic of a pattern and then determining the solution. Because they are visual questions and are independent of language and mathematical abilities, they have come to be considered as an accurate indicator of one’s general intellectual ability as well as being “fairer” than many other aptitude test methods.

If you would like to learn more about Abstract reasoning test and to master the skills to get a top score on this test, then visitwww.graduatemonkey.com. Look for Logical (Abstract) Reasoning Test Tutorial pack.