Free Aptitude Tests – Can They Actually Help You Choose A Career?

There are many exams in the market that test and match an individual to his or her career path based on the above-mentioned factors.

The following are the 2 broad areas where an aptitude test has proven to be very important:

1.   Job Placement: Companies on the lookout for a particular talent or expertise are in a better position to hire a person if he has the requisite skills needed to perform on the job.  

For example, a person who has applied for the job of an accountant will be tested on his numerical skills whereas a fashion studio would test a person on his designing skills.

2.  Selecting an appropriate career: Students confused about choosing the right career would find it helpful to go through an appropriate test which will highlight his strengths and weaknesses.

For example, a student may be strong in people skills but perform poorly in numerical or logical reasoning. Thus, this student would best fit into a career involving people-to-people interaction, such as sales, public relations, disc jockey etc.

In Japan, there is something called a ‘Kanji Test’, an exam which evaluates one’s knowledge of written Japanese in Chinese script. Only the native Kanji speakers are well versed in the kanji language and ace the tests. The non-native Kanji Japanese find it incredibly difficult to pass even the 1st of the 10 levels of test. So difficult is Level-1 that only 15 people out of 100 taking the test pass.

What does a Free Aptitude Test measure?

An in-depth aptitude test uses the combination of one of the 10 varying methods to evaluate the right career path:

1.    Physical adeptness: This tests the ability of a person to perform manual tasks well

2.    Abstract reasoning — This tests the ability of a person to see through loads of information and recognize a pattern; making this a highly regarded skill in the top echelons of management

3.    Mathematical skills: This tests a person’s competence in numerical abilities

4.    Imaginative skills: This evaluates the creative ability of a person

5.    Writing abilities: This test assesses a person’s literary abilities

6.    Word skills: This determines a person’s skills in usage of words and spellings

7.    Empirical skills: This examines the scientific understanding that a person has

8.    Directorial skills: This assesses a person’s leadership skills in leading other people

9.    Spatial visualisation: This evaluates the ability of a person to contextualize 2D and 3D rationally

10.  Mechanical skills: This tests a person’s understanding of machines and its workings

Thus, as could be seen, a comprehensive test takes into account the workings of not only the left side of the brain — the logical side — but also the right half of the brain — the creative side, thereby giving a whole picture of a person’s true ability and potential.

Now let’s see, some actual instances where people have benefited from taking an aptitude test.

Case Study: John Cameron

John was a student with great future prospects. However, like a normal teen, he was unsure of his career path. His interest lay in being a surgeon. However, the tests revealed something different. He did not possess the requisite physical dexterity to be a surgeon, but instead scored well on mechanical and scientific tests. Here’s what he himself admitted a few months later, ‘that the test prediction in being good in engineering was indeed correct’.

Case Study: Aditya Sawdekar  (Author)

Aditya was a special example. He was a bright student, with an excellent academic track record. However, he failed his high school science final. Frustrated and depressed, he took an aptitude test to seek clarity on career options available based on his personal traits. The test revealed that he had a natural flair for verbal skills – thus -news reporter, writer, trainer etc. were suggested as viable and prospective career options.

He switched to arts for a while before turning to management education and then settling in a career as a banker, as was the trend at the time. After working for 4 years as a banker; he completely burnt out. He quit his job and tinkered with many different interests and ideas, finally settling on being a writer. To say that he is satisfied would be an understatement. In fact, the 17 years of constantly changing professions clarified one thing to him (in his own words) —

“Had I taken the results the aptitude tests a tad more seriously, I would have had an altogether different career and life”.

Thus, it can be seen by the above 2 case studies that aptitude tests, being standardized, can predict with considerable accuracy the path that one ought to follow in order to achieve one’s fullest potential.