Applications of Aptitudes

Aptitudes predict the ease and speed with which one acquires new skills and knowledge. Because different careers require different patterns of aptitudes, aptitude tests can be effectively applied in three main areas: career assessment & counseling (including self-understanding for career choice), personnel selection, and employee training & development.

These applications of aptitudes can be represented as positioned upon a triangle (see sidebar), with career counseling, personnel selection, and employee training and development representing distinct and separate applications that emanate from the use of aptitudes. These separate applications have different purposes and validation needs.

We now elaborate upon these three applications of aptitudes, featuring the names of important contributors within each realm that have served as influential to our work.