Aptitude Testing and Career/ Educational Counseling
Aptitudes are natural talents, traits or special abilities for doing certain kinds of things. The work you are most likely to enjoy and be successful in is work that uses your aptitudes. For example, if you are an engineer but possess aptitudes not suitable for engineering, your work might seem unrewarding, difficult and unpleasant. Aptitude testing is one tool for educational/ career selection. It can help you find where your aptitudes lie, and why certain occupations may be more suitable to you than others. PsyCounsel does not provide employment counseling services, but only an inventory of your aptitudes.
The more the information available to you, the better your decision will be. Guidance counselors at PsyCounsel can help you marry your interests, academic achievements, aptitudes and personality characteristics. Your parents can give you the benefit of their experiences. But the most important thing is knowing yourself, knowing your own strong points. You should formulate your goals based on this knowledge.
What are your values, interests, aptitudes ?
Aptitudes are natural talents, special abilities for doing, or learning to do, certain kinds of things easily and quickly. They have little to do with knowledge or culture, or education, or even interests. They may have to do with heredity. Musical talent and artistic talent are examples of such aptitudes. Some people can paint beautifully but cannot carry a tune. Others are good at talking to people but slow at paperwork. Still others can easily repair a car but find writing difficult. These basic differences among people are important factors in making one person satisfied as a banker, another satisfied as an engineer, and still another satisfied working as an editor.
Every occupation, whether it is engineering, medicine, law, or management, uses certain aptitudes. While aptitudes suggest the directions in which learning might best take place, they are no substitute for the learning itself. The purpose of taking aptitude tests is to find areas in which you have ability. It has been our experience that people tend to be more satisfied and successful in occupations that challenge their aptitudes and do not demand aptitudes that they lack.
Aptitude Testing and the Teenager
What kind of college should I join? What should I specialize in? How do I choose my career? These are the questions that high school kids should ask themselves. How can testing help someone choose a specialization? What are my aptitudes? When is a good age to take the tests? Unfortunately, many people seek answers to these questions only after high school and college, and when they are already out in the working world. Family and financial commitments at this stage of one's life may make it difficult to change careers. The best time to ask these necessary questions is when you are in your teens, before you attend college and embark on your first job.
The multiplicity of choices at college level can be bewildering even to well-informed students. As any parent with college-bound children know, the cost of higher education has been rising dramatically. Because of the problems of variety and cost, it is important to plan your education carefully. Aptitude testing can be done any time from 12 years onwards. Many may wait until junior or senior year in high school. The tests can provide the student with information for choosing high school courses. We would like to encourage parents to get involved in helping make this decision. If you have questions about whether the testing is appropriate for you or your teenager, feel free to discuss your concerns with us.
We feel that you should have your aptitudes evaluated if you:
- Are in high school or college, so that it can help you select a major field of study.
- Wish to learn about the nature of aptitudes and how they affect human behavior.
Poor school record or lack of schooling should not deter you from taking an aptitude test, because aptitudes are not based upon knowledge or educational background. However, the test results may not be 100% accurate for those for whom English is a second language. If you have a physical or mental impairment or learning disability, or are taking strong medication, your scores may not be accurate. Most of the tests are timed; your scores are determined by how fast and accurate you are. After reading our literature, you should carefully consider whether testing would be suitable. We cannot make
Why Should Adults Take Aptitude Tests?
A mother, who came to our office to discuss her daughter's aptitude pattern, after an explanation of her scores, remarked that she wished that she had been tested when she was in school. She presumed that it was too late. We however feel there are many situations in which aptitude testing may prove useful for those over 30, and one should not automatically decide it is "too late". Sometimes, parents also get tested along with their children simply to gain first-hand knowledge of the tests and to better understand their children's scores.
We feel that you should have your aptitudes evaluated if you : -
Why Should Adults Take Aptitude Tests?
A mother, who came to our office to discuss her daughter's aptitude pattern, after an explanation of her scores, remarked that she wished that she had been tested when she was in school. She presumed that it was too late. We however feel there are many situations in which aptitude testing may prove useful for those over 30, and one should not automatically decide it is "too late". Sometimes, parents also get tested along with their children simply to gain first-hand knowledge of the tests and to better understand their children's scores.
We feel that you should have your aptitudes evaluated if you : -
- Are in high school or college, so that it can help you select a major field of study or career.
- Wish to learn about the nature of aptitudes and how they affect human behavior.
- Are unhappy in your job, because understanding your aptitudes can help direct you to more satisfying work in your field, or could suggest a more satisfying career. Sometimes a minor change can make the difference between satisfaction and frustration, between success and failure.
- Haven't worked for some time and are considering a return to the job market. Knowledge of your aptitudes may help you decide what kind of job to seek.
- Face a decision about a promotion or transfer within your company. Knowledge of your aptitudes may help you make that decision.
- Are about to retire, as the information gained can help you use your retirement years more fruitfully.
People often face dilemmas in their jobs in their middle ages. Should a technician accept a promotion into management or remain in a specialized technical job? Should a marketing expert, take up an office job? The decision can be crucial to success and joy in a person's career. Aptitude testing might help such a person make a decision.
Poor school record or lack of schooling should not deter you from taking an aptitude test, because aptitudes are not based upon knowledge or educational background. However, knowledge of English is required for aptitude testing, since we do not have validated tests in local languages. If you have a physical or mental impairment or learning disability, or are taking strong medication, your scores may not be accurate. Most of the tests are timed; your scores are determined by how fast and accurate you are.
Why Should Adults Take Aptitude Tests?
A mother, who came to our office to discuss her daughter's aptitude pattern, after an explanation of her scores, remarked that she wished that she had been tested when she was in school. She presumed that it was too late. We are of the opinion that in many situations aptitude testing may prove useful for even those over 30, and one should not presume that it is too late . Sometimes, parents also get tested along with their children simply to gain first-hand knowledge of the tests and to better understand their children's scores.
Are you absolutely happy with your job? Do you feel that you do not have enough time at work? If so, you are probably in the right job. But that is not the case with a large majority. Every day we find more and more professionals are having second thoughts about the careers they chose. Today more and more younger professionals are seeking career advice. Today, the new generation wants answers to where they are and where they are headed.
Job satisfaction is admittedly an elusive concept. It is difficult to define. It also changes with the age of the incumbent. Salary and job location play a major role, but we now try to quantify the more sensitive issues like aptitudes, skills, information processing style, personality, values and goals, and relate them to the career. Comprehensive testing methods available can guide you toward jobs suited to your profile and help you determine what kind of work is most suitable for you.
The current, wide selection of "aptitude tests" makes them as flexible as they are reliable. Some interest inventories and personality tests can be taken at home, while others - like the Differential Aptitude tests - are administered through psychologists, career counselors or test administrators. PsyCounsel uses the Differential Aptitude Tests in combination with personality evaluation and Neuro Linguistic Programming evaluations to help you in your self discovery and to advise you on suitable career options.
All said, we feel it is only fair that we point out some of the limitations of our service too.
(a) We are not employment counselors. We try to only provide people with an inventory of their natural abilities to assist them to plan their education and/or career. We can throw light on how aptitudes can be used in many occupations. We are however not a placement service.
(b) It is possible that you may not be able to find the job that suits your profile, either due to personal reasons or prevailing circumstances. Older people who undergo testing should be prepared to accept such results.
(c) We can suggest general career fields from the results of the aptitude tests, but we may not be able to be very specific about jobs within a given field. So those wanting advice about a rather narrow change of function within a field may not find the answer they are looking for from the test results.
Poor school record or lack of schooling should not deter you from taking an aptitude test, because aptitudes are not based upon knowledge or educational background. However, knowledge of English is required for aptitude testing, since we do not have validated tests in local languages. If you have a physical or mental impairment or learning disability, or are taking strong medication, your scores may not be accurate. Most of the tests are timed; your scores are determined by how fast and accurate you are.
Why Should Adults Take Aptitude Tests?
A mother, who came to our office to discuss her daughter's aptitude pattern, after an explanation of her scores, remarked that she wished that she had been tested when she was in school. She presumed that it was too late. We are of the opinion that in many situations aptitude testing may prove useful for even those over 30, and one should not presume that it is too late . Sometimes, parents also get tested along with their children simply to gain first-hand knowledge of the tests and to better understand their children's scores.
Are you absolutely happy with your job? Do you feel that you do not have enough time at work? If so, you are probably in the right job. But that is not the case with a large majority. Every day we find more and more professionals are having second thoughts about the careers they chose. Today more and more younger professionals are seeking career advice. Today, the new generation wants answers to where they are and where they are headed.
Job satisfaction is admittedly an elusive concept. It is difficult to define. It also changes with the age of the incumbent. Salary and job location play a major role, but we now try to quantify the more sensitive issues like aptitudes, skills, information processing style, personality, values and goals, and relate them to the career. Comprehensive testing methods available can guide you toward jobs suited to your profile and help you determine what kind of work is most suitable for you.
The current, wide selection of "aptitude tests" makes them as flexible as they are reliable. Some interest inventories and personality tests can be taken at home, while others - like the Differential Aptitude tests - are administered through psychologists, career counselors or test administrators. PsyCounsel uses the Differential Aptitude Tests in combination with personality evaluation and Neuro Linguistic Programming evaluations to help you in your self discovery and to advise you on suitable career options.
All said, we feel it is only fair that we point out some of the limitations of our service too.
(a) We are not employment counselors. We try to only provide people with an inventory of their natural abilities to assist them to plan their education and/or career. We can throw light on how aptitudes can be used in many occupations. We are however not a placement service.
(b) It is possible that you may not be able to find the job that suits your profile, either due to personal reasons or prevailing circumstances. Older people who undergo testing should be prepared to accept such results.
(c) We can suggest general career fields from the results of the aptitude tests, but we may not be able to be very specific about jobs within a given field. So those wanting advice about a rather narrow change of function within a field may not find the answer they are looking for from the test results.
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