Research Paper on:
Evaluation of Aptitude Tests as Assessment Instruments

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
applicants, or military recruits, they understand that a measure of what a person is "good at" is often applied prior to some form of "placement." For example, teenagers are told  what areas they should consider as a profession because they have a particular aptitude in the skills and understanding that such a job would require. The tests are often useful  measures but they are almost equally often of little real value. They may allow administrators or people in some position of superiority to categorize people but they may not offer  any particular guidance for the person taking the test. Aptitudes can be thought of as natural talents that provide an individual with the special ability to do or learn to  do certain types of things. Every human effort requires certain aptitudes. Such a fact is particularly notable in terms of a persons profession. An attorney will need analytical skills,  a doctor will need an understanding and appreciation for a variety of life sciences, a writer must have aptitude for creativity and use of language. Recognizing such aptitudes and their  applicability is the basic point of aptitude testing. This report considers both the positive and negative aspects of aptitude tests and makes a brief evaluation of their applicability and effectiveness.  General Aptitude Test Battery The General Aptitude Test Battery or GATB is just that . . . general. It is fundamentally a test of three areas:  general cognitive ability; perceptual ability; and, motor skills. It was, for decades, the most commonly used civilian employment test in the United States. In fact, it has been shown  to be a valid if singular prediction of potential employee performance. Because of its generality, it can be put to good use for comparisons in circumstances in which the researcher