Increasingly, many
Kenyan employers are using aptitude tests in a bid to get the best
candidates to fill the job vacancies in their companies. After initially
getting CVs and cover letters from prospective job seekers, and whittling down
the list to a manageable number, HR recruiters then give an aptitude test to a sizeable
number of job seekers before finally subjecting them to an oral interview.
Here’s what you need to know about aptitude tests.
1. Aptitude tests
gauge skills you acquired over a long time.
While you might conveniently transnight and pass your CATs
or exams, even if you didn’t read for the whole semester, aptitude tests are
quite different. It is unlikely that you will get anything by transnighting. However,
at the very core, aptitude tests measure your quantitative and verbal skills.
Some also believe that aptitude
tests measure intelligence, although this is
something that is increasingly being disputed. It is unlikely you will find any
college or university level questions in an aptitude test.
2. Speed and Accuracy
are of the essence.
Most aptitude tests questions are on primary and high school
Math and English knowledge. However, the catch is that you will have to be
extremely fast in answering the questions. In one of the leading auditing
companies in Kenya,
you will be given 75 grammar and spelling questions and expected to complete in
just ten minutes. So, you should be very fast, while at the same time ensuring
that you answer the questions correctly and not just guessing- since most of
the questions are multiple choice.
3. Sometimes, marks
are deducted of you get the questions wrong.
For some companies, if you get a question wrong, the marks
are deducted from the overall mark. This is why accuracy is much, if not more
important, than speed. So, you may actually end up with a very low , or even
negative marks, if you get more questions wrong than the ones you get right.
In summary, while the
exact role of the aptitude test is to gauge intelligence and determine your
suitability for a given post, it is increasingly being used as a screening
tool, which is why you must give it your best, especially if the other parts of
your application are not as outstanding.
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