In this complete guide, we will answer the question: Are Career Aptitude Tests Worth It?. We will look at the importance of career aptitude tests and the different types of career aptitude tests.

While growing up, we’re often asked what we’d like to be? “Oh, looks like you will end up becoming a doctor”, “Ah, with that creativity, you will make a fine artist”. Many times, the ideas we harbor for potential future occupations change as we grow up. Further, many are torn between the plethora of career choices. “Should I follow my passion for photography? Or should I become a pharmacist since I know my way through Chemistry well?”

Are you standing on the brink of making an important career decision? Has someone advised you to take a career aptitude test? Has someone advised you against taking one?

Are Career Aptitude Tests Worth It?

A career aptitude test will outline potential career choices for you based on factors like your interests, preferences, values, and skills. Career aptitude tests do not guarantee that you will be a hundred percent fit for a particular career. However, these tests will help you become more aware of your interests and strengths. This self-awareness can be extremely helpful when it comes to settling on a career path.

What is a Career Aptitude Test?

A career aptitude test is designed to help one enhance their awareness of their skills, values, and interests. Career aptitude tests will throw a volley of questions your way. These questions pertaining to different areas aim to challenge your thinking. Based on your responses, these tests will recommend potential career options for you.

Each of these tests takes different factors into consideration. Certain tests may focus on a single factor like values, or interests. Other tests might look at more than one factor like skills, interests, personality, and preferences.

It is important to understand, the quality of the results will depend on the responses you provide. The responses you give, shape the final profile. This helps identify particular traits and interest clusters. Thereafter, these are compared and matched with the available career data.

A career aptitude test is not a magical machine that will instantly provide the best career choice for you. It will offer you a range of choices based on different factors that have been synthesized from your responses. It will give you a better understanding of yourself, helping you make a more informed career choice. The result of a career aptitude test does not guarantee that you will excel in a said career for sure.

In general, career tests tend to match you to more generic career options. They may not take into account the many different career options available. Additionally, there are many unusual career choices that might work well for you. Many career aptitude tests may not take this into consideration. Further, with time there are newer career options in the market. Career aptitudes tests may not take these into account.

However, this does not mean one completely invalidates the utility of career aptitudes tests. They may guide one in a certain direction. The answers provided by the test should not be taken literally either. For example, if you get engineering as a recommended career, it does not mean that you have to start listing out the best engineering schools to apply to right away or will not excel in any career apart from engineering. It simply indicates that you might be well suited to a career that commands abilities associated with logical reasoning and numbers.

The results of a career aptitude test might not always spring a surprise. It brings to your notice what you may already know. Self-awareness is a useful tool while making a career choice. Being aware of your skills, values, interests, and preferences can help you make an informed choice. A career aptitude test will essentially do that.

Further, while undertaking a career aptitude test, it is important to keep certain things in mind. Always choose a career aptitude test that is valid and reliable. The test must have been developed, tested, and researched by professional test developers. In the present day, there are a number of career aptitude tests available. Hence, it is important to select one wisely.

There are different tests that people take while making decisions pertaining to career choices and job strengths. A career aptitude test could let you know if you are a deep thinker and how this may affect your intelligence. A few career aptitude have been described below.

The Holland Code Instrument

A large number of career aptitude tests use the Holland Codes. These codes were developed by a psychologist named Dr. John L. Holland. The Holland Code Instrument is also known as the RAISEC test. According to Dr. Holland’s theory, one’s career choices can be based on a certain combination of six personality types.  These six personality types have been described as :

Realistic

Artistic

Investigative

Social

Enterprising

Convention

He believed the more one was able to express their personality in a job, the greater was their career satisfaction. One’s Holland Code will be ascertained based on a combination of two or more three of these personality types. As mentioned earlier, a large number of career aptitude tests use the Holland Codes. It is the basis for other assessments, for example, the Strong Interest Inventory.

The Clifton StrengthsFinder

The Clifton StrengthsFinder was the product of over forty years of research undertaken by psychologist Donald O. Clifton and the Gallup Organization. The results provided by this instrument outline a set of strengths that one can apply to their career and academics. From thirty-four descriptors, one is provided a set of strengths. A few of these descriptors constitute empathy, context, focus, and individuation. These strengths are generally a combination of skills, knowledge, and talents. According to the research carried out, it is posited that individuals who actively use their skills are more likely to be engaged in their careers. Resultantly, they also tend to have a very good quality of life. The results of the Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment can be utilized to guide’s one decision pertaining to academics, work, leadership, and family life.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is based on the theory of psychoanalyst and psychiatrist Carl Jung. After taking this personality assessment, one is designated a personality type. There sixteen personality types in total. It is described in the form of a four-letter code. This code describes how one’s preferences give shape to their interests, actions, motivations, and views. Based on one’s personality type, individuals can scan through potential career choices.

Ideally, someone with proper certification can perform an MBTI evaluation. However, there are different adaptations of this personality assessment available online.

Strong Interest Inventory. 

As mentioned earlier, the Strongest Interest Inventory used the Holland Codes as a basis for assessment. Thi inventory evaluates one’s career interests instead of skills, values, and personality. The six areas which are taken into account include subject areas, occupations, activities, people, personal characteristics, and leisure activities.

The Strong Interest Inventory has been revised a number of times over the years. This makes it a very suitable contemporary career assessment. The Strong Interest Inventory allows one to understand their strength and guides them to make a more informed career decision. This assessment can be administered only by a certified facilitator.

The Big Five Personality Traits Model

The Big Five Personality Inventory is based on the theory of five factors that shape human personality. These five factors are openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism (OCEAN). These results can be used to understand one’s fit for a particular job and work performance.

Career Assessment Interviews

There are career counselors and psychologists who are trained in career counseling. They help individuals integrate the results of career assessment with the broader picture. That is, they try to understand these results in the context of the person’s culture, goals, passions, and personality traits. This provides a more holistic approach while making a decision surrounding one’s career.

There are some online career assessments that people undertake often:

Princeton Review’s Career Quiz

The Princeton Review’s Career Quiz consists of twenty-four questions. The test comprises  examples of people engaging in different tasks. You are expected to select a task you would choose to do. These examples are in the form of phrases. On completion of the test, you will be given a color based on your perceived interests. Thereafter you will be provided a list of potential careers that are considered to be suitable for people in the same color category.

MAPP Career Test

The term MAPP translates to Motivational Appraisal Personal Potential.

It is offered in six different languages. It has been tested by psychologists for reliability. The results are correlated to the Strong Interest Inventory. This test provided one with insights related to one’s career motivations.  It lists out the ten best-suited industries for the person.  The MAAP Career test also helps individuals to narrow down their choices by matching them to specific careers in their database. This is a very extensive database comprising over 1000 roles.

The Career Strengths Test

This was developed by Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation for Oprah. It comprises a collection of assessments. It evaluates one’s strengths with respect to different skills. One has to complete four tests. Thereafter, they are provided a list of multiple jobs that will require their skills. This test helps one identify job strengths.

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Why is this blog on “Are Career Aptitude Tests Worth It?” important?

This blog outlines the many sides of taking a career aptitude test. The information in this blog might help clarify doubts pertaining to career aptitude tests.

Conclusion

In this blog post, we answered the question “Are Career Aptitude Tests Worth It?”. We also delved into understanding different types of career aptitudes tests. Career aptitudes are certainly worth it due to the fact that most personality tests are very accurate.

If you’ve enjoyed the ”Are Career Aptitude Tests Worth It?” mentioned above, I would recommend you to take a look at ”Are all surgeons arrogant?” too.

FAQs: Are Career Aptitude Tests Worth It?

References:

Do career aptitude tests actually work? 

Do career aptitude tests actually work?

Sorting Out Career Assessments 

https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2017/07/31/some-career-assessment-tools-and-how-use-them-essay

7 Free Career Aptitude Tests You Can Take Online Today

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/career-aptitude-tests