A look into Aptitude test and its importance

A look into Aptitude test and its importance

The Oxford online dictionary defines aptitude test as “a test designed to determine a person’s ability in a particular skill or field of knowledge” (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/). They are also referred to as cognitive ability or intelligence tests. These tests assume that different people possess different special abilities but most importantly, that these variations are important in predicting future achievements.   The first known use of aptitude test was in 1919, and increasingly, they have gained worldwide acceptance particularly in human resources circles. Aptitude tests are now an integral part of an employee recruitment process and Fibonicci argues that 70% of recruitment companies worldwide use aptitude testshttp://fibonicci.wordpress.com/.

But just how important are these tests? With the advancement of information and communication technology, job openings can be viewed by millions of people worldwide, in spans of seconds after they are advertised online. Such is the importance of globalization. A Kenyan graduate can therefore apply for a job in a Scandinavian country. With thousands of applications streaming in, the potential employer therefore needs a standardised, verifiable, accountable but most importantly, relevant way of downsizing these applications to a manageable number, taking care not to eliminate best applicants.  Overall, candidates are selected depending on the threshold set for acceptable scores.

This process therefore saves an employer time since a much smaller number of candidates can be invited for interviews.  Provided that the testsvalidly identify people with the right skills and knowledge, the employer (or hiring firm) can rest easy that they can choose from the crème de la crème of the candidates. This is particularly important for specialised jobs where the recruit has to know his job and know it really well. These tests are also important in identifying further career development needs. These tests also strengthen objectivity in the employee selection process.

Aptitude tests measure various skills including logical, verbal, numerical and mechanical. The content of these tests is customised to the job requirements. Some of these tests are briefly described here:

SHL reasoning test:

These involve mathematical tests in which various form of questions are asked, and the candidate required to choose from multiple choices, the appropriate answer.

Kenexa reasoning tests: these contain three practice tests on i) SHL numerical reasoning ii) verbal reasoning and lastly, logical reasoning tests.  Numerical tests require candidates to critically evaluate numerical information presented in tables and graphs. 12 questions should be done in 17 minutes, therefore speed is of the essence here.  The second test (verbal), simply measures one’s comprehension of information presented. Candidates are required to read through the text and answer as “true” or “false”, the statements presented in relation to the passage. Only half a minute is typically allocated for each test question. The third test, on logical (or abstract) reasoning requires candidates to study some diagrams, and identify a pattern that will be used to determine how the next diagram should look like. This test contains 12 logical reasoning questions, and should be done within 6 minutes. Candidates are required to click a “finish” button to submit the answers.

Saville reasoning tests

This is a package developed by Saville consultants, and entails different tests that broadly measure comprehension and technical analysis. In addition to the tests highlighted in Kenexa, Saville package includes a technical aptitude test package that contains Spatial, mechanical and diagrammatic reasoning.  Aptitude test packages therefore come with different levels of complexity largely depending on the depth of skills and knowledge sought for by the recruiter.

Normally, aptitude tests are conducted on yearly basis before appraisal so as to evaluate the expertise and self esteem of candidates. There are a number of scientific tests designed in a general manner and appraisal is usually given by the qualified counsellors. The answers of aptitude testquestions are created with different degrees of agreement and disagreement. Then evaluation sheets are made mentioning scores of candidates that rate their skills according to the number of questions answered.

Apart from these facts, satisfaction is also an important thing for your success in a certain field so you should keep on improving your skills up to the level that will help you to become more and more preferable by the companies. If you are not sure about these tests, you can also watch someaptitude test tutorials in order to have an idea.

Due to the rising demands for aptitude test preparation, several online resources have been developed. Graduate Monkey test tutorials can be accessed via www.graduatemonkey.com.  This tutorial package contains a range of helpful aptitude test questions as well as answer test questions. Also featured are video test tutorials, aptitude test guides as well as sample aptitude test papers. Candidates can access any of these by paying a premium of at least £19.  Some of the key benefits of using these practice materials include tips for time-saving for complex questions as well as confidence building. “Aptutorial”, is the new memorable name encompassing all these; aptitude test candidates will do well to utilise the resource.