APTITUDE TEST
INTRODUCTION:
An aptitude test is an exam used to determine
an individuals propensity to succeed in a given activity .An aptitude test one
can study. Bingham in his book aptitude and aptitude testing(1937)remarked,” An
individuals potentialities are not all equally strong .one learn to do certain a things
more easily and better than other things ,and can develop greater interest and
satisfaction in some kinds of activities than in others”.
Intelligence tests measure the general ability g) of a person , while aptitude tests measure certain specific abilities (s). aptitude tests predict the future potentialities of a person. these tests help us in selecting individuals who show talent in early stage and readily respond to training.
TYPES OF APTITUDE TESTS
Various types of aptitude tests have been developed by
psychologists for assessing potential of a person in an activity of a specialized
kind some tests of specific aptitude are as follow:
1.Clerical
aptitude tests :it involves several specific abilities such as ,perceptual
ability, intellectual ability and motor ability
Some of
the popular aptitude tests are
(a)Minnesota
clerical tests,
(b)Detroit
clerical aptitude test.
(c) The
clerical ability test prepared by the department of psychology, university of
Mysore ,Mysore.
(d)Clerical
aptitude test battery ,bureau of educational and vocational guidance ,Patna(Bihar)
In
Minnesota clerical test ,the aptitude for Speedy detail perception is measured
.This test has two parts :number comparison.
Table 23.1
|
|
Correct |
Wrong |
|
Examples: |
(1)992786192 |
992768192 |
|
|
(Ii)Gargil
Grain Co |
Gargal
Grain Co |
The Detroit clerical aptitude test include handwriting arithmetic ,checking
,classification ,alphabetical filing ,knowledge of commercial terms ,disarranged pictures ,etc.
2.Mechanical
aptitude test :this test was first devised by J .L. Stenquist in this test ,the
subject is asked to assemble different parts of bicycle bell ,door lock ,mouse-trap ,etc .This assembly
test of general mechanical ability has been revised at the university of
Minnesota and it is now known as Minnesota mechanical assemble test .chapter
23:aptitude and interest
3.Musical
talent test :the earliest musical aptitude test was designed by seashore .the test assesses the ability of
pitch-discrimination ,intensity of loudness of rhythm and memory ,total score
for these parts are used to develop an individual profile.
4.The
Meier art Judgement test :this test is devised to discover the talent for
graphic art .the material of the test consists of 100 pairs of representational
pictures in black and white .one member of each pair is a reproduction of a
known master-piece ,while the other is a slight variation of the original .the
subjects are informed about which aspect has been changed .they are asked to
select from each pair the one which is more artistic .the number of correct responses
is the measure of the subject’s aptitude for graphic art.
5.Tests
for scholastic and professional aptitudes :aptitude tests have been constructed
for selection of students for admission to specific courses as medicine ,teaching
,engineering ,military services ,etc .some of these aptitude tests are :scholastic
attitude test (sat)developed in USA,
Stanford scientific aptitude test by D.L.Zyve ,science aptitude test(after
higher secondary stage)NIE ,Delhi ,teaching aptitude test by Jaiprakash
and R.P.Shrivastav ,university of saugar (M.P)
MEASURING THE APTITUDE TEST
MEASURING APTITUDE:
The terms intelligence ability and aptitude are often used
interchangeably to refer to behavior that is used to predict future learning or
performance the tests designed to measure these attributes differ in several
significant ways.
Aptitude tests in contrast to intelligence tests and achievement
tests.
It also looks at the value of aptitude tests and examines now the
results of aptitude should be used .Finally ,this article discusses whether students can improve their scores on these
tests.
Like intelligence tests, aptitude tests measure students overall
performance across a broad range of
mental capabilities .but aptitude test also often include items which measure more specialized abilities-such
as verbal and numerical skills –that predict scholastic performance in
educational
PROGRAMS.
Aptitude tests tell as what a student brings to the task regardless
of the specific curriculam that the student has experienced
THE VALUE OF APTITUDE TESTING:
They are excellent predictors of future scholastic achievement
They provide ways of comparing a childs performance with that of
other children in the same situation
They provide a profile of strengths and weaknesses.
They assess differences among individuals
They have uncovered hidden talents in some children thus improving
their educational opportunities.
They are
valuable tools for working with handicapped children
Aptitude tests usually given as part of a achievement battery of tests
can be given quickly and inexpensively to large numbers of children children
who obtain extreme scores can be easily who obtain extreme scores can be easily
identified to received further specialized attention .aptitude tests are valuable in making program and curricula decisions they
can also be used for grouping Students
as long as grouping is flexible.
How To
Improve:
Attempts to train aptitude must go well beyond practice and
feedback .what needed is intensive training in strategies involved in task
performance along with higher level monitoring and control strategies involved
in guiding performance and in transferring skills to new areas.
Educational efforts to improve aptitude need to be long term.
Abilities of students and methods of training interact .attempt to
train strategies must fit the tested aptitudes of students
Practice
and feedback can be effective when students are already proficient in the ability to be trained.
Instructive training maybe harmful to high aptitude students
Training ability works best when treatment utilizes some of the
students other strenghs.
Some aspects of intellectual aptitude may be more easily trained
than others
Conclusion:
Thus the aptitude test used in education field to improve the students level according to their strength and weakness.
