The Basic Aptitude Test – Best Friend or Worst Enemy?

“Aptitude test! Those pesky tests that pretty much every person who’s applied for a job has given at least once. Not only do they seem like a waste of time, but are at times pointless too. So why do recruiters persist with such tests? Is there really any reasoning behind these tests?

What is an Aptitude Test?

The dictionary defines Aptitude as “An aptitude is a component of a competency to do a certain kind of work at a certain level. You can consider outstanding aptitude “talent”. An aptitude may be physical or mental. Aptitude is inborn potential to do certain kinds of work whether developed or undeveloped. Ability is developed knowledge, understanding, learned or acquired abilities (skills) or attitude. The innate nature of aptitude is in contrast to skills and achievement, which represent knowledge or ability that comes from learning.“

While some people hate the idea of basic Pre-Employment Aptitude Assessments, it is only the fear of failure that motivates people so. As we can see, aptitude is a broad theme, the simplest explanation being – being able to do something at a given level.

Now if it hasn’t been clear enough, let’s go down and see why people use Cognitive Ability to evaluate people.

1. Resumes are kind of dumb

Well, let’s face it. Resumes are outdated, paint an incomplete picture and are easily tampered with. So what exactly can take their place and be just as easy to help screen, if not better? Imagine this, an Aptitude test is objective, gives clear results, and has no room for any favouritism or bias. Resumes show everything right from where you studied, down to your grades and hobbies. But none of those things will help you “do the job at the required level.” Oh! This is also defined as… wait for it… Aptitude.

What people do not understand is that resumes do not paint the whole picture. How well you fare in your academics does not showcase how ready you are to take up a job. And neither does it show if have the logical know-how to go ahead and make split-second decisions and handle pressure while growing.

2. Problem-solving skills are important

Another reason to choose basic math and language-based Online aptitude tests is that they provide a measure of the problem-solving abilities of a person. Any role will have some or the other problems attached. While having an education from a premier college is really cool, what matters more is the ability to solve those problems. On the other hand, we believe a supportive environment like math tutoring Chicago will help a lot in process. Interestingly, it is a customized tutoring approach with expert guidance. So, your child can take their math skills to the next level in such atmosphere.

One can always get more people to work on the same thing, but it is never the same as having one person who can get it done. And the simple truth is that higher aptitude has a direct correlation to the problem-solving capability of a person. The higher one number is, the higher the other goes.

3. Aptitude tests should be mandatory for fast thinking roles

Let’s think of it this way – you will not be happy if your lunch comes at night, right? Why is that? Because time is a really valuable asset. In more cases than not, decisions that people have to make are time-sensitive. And for someone who does not have the necessary aptitude to take such decisions, the pressure will be too much.

Now imagine a salesperson who is on a call with a prospective client. Every word that they use matters and a single mistake could mean a lost potential client. Sometimes, this costs upwards of hundreds of dollars at a small scale company, imagine the repercussions in a large company.

Like I said, there’s a reason people use an Aptitude Test to make the final decision. Especially in the formative years of a person’s career, there is a lot of ambiguity. This is because people can adapt very easily to new roles and situations real fast. That is when Employment Aptitude tests come in handy. Getting a measure of the people who are most likely to perform better than the rest is almost like being able to predict the future. And more often than not, the cost of a bad hire is very dear. Something that a single aptitude test can reduce the probability of.

Why an aptitude test? – The Recruiter Version

If you are a recruiter and still are not sold on using an Aptitude Test, let’s see why you should.

Take very less time and effort to administer.
They are less time taking for the candidates.
Provide a great parity in the case of campus drives from different colleges.
Provide a statistical and objective insight of who is better at what and by how much.

And for final thoughts, an Aptitude Test is not the same as an I.Q Test. While there are quite a few similarities, an Aptitude Test largely deals with one’s ability to answer questions on numerical ability, language as well as ones based on data and data sets. Logical Tests are carefully customized by the test providers based on the role the test takers are applying for. This ensures that each question tests abilities that are vital to the position and proves that the person performing well can succeed in the real job without a lot of difficulties.

The Verdict

Pre-Employment Aptitude Assessments are a great and efficient way to find out the best-suited applicants for a given role that requires less than 2 Years of experience. They are also a great way to eliminate bias and find high performers without spending a lot of energy evaluating. So, if you are looking to hire a few youngsters in your team, administer an Aptitude Test to have the best pick of the lot.