APTITUDE

Aptitude means quickness in learning and understanding. It may be natural

talent or an acquired ability.

Definitions: It refers to those qualities characterizing a person’s way of

behaviour, which serve to indicate how well he can learn to meet and solve a
specified kinds of problem. (Bringham-1937)
CONCEPTS:
 An aptitude is an innate component of a competency to do a certain kind
of work at a certain level. Aptitude may be physical or mental.
 Aptitudes are latent potentialities. Given opportunities for development,
would result in great achievement.
 Aptitude is derived from general mental ability and it predicts one’s
possible success or failure in a vocation.
 An aptitude is an innate ability to do a certain kind of work. Aptitude
helps an individual to learn faster and achieve success.
 Aptitude is special ability but intelligence is general ability .
 To predict an achievement in some particular job or training courses
knowledge about one’s aptitudes rather than his intelligence or general
ability.
 Aptitude helps in choosing any kind of activity, in which we wish to be
successful or enjoy.
 Aptitude is different from skills and proficiency. Skills is the ability to
perform a given act with ease and precision whereas aptitude is a
combination of characteristics of individual capacity to acquire some
specific knowledge.

TYPES:
1. Manual aptitude: It indicates motor abilities or skills required for semi-
skilled occupations.
2. Mechanical aptitude: It involves the ability to understand and solve
problems involving mechanical relationships and arrangements such as
those, which occurs in the adjustment, repair and assembly of machinery.
3. Clerical aptitude: This aptitude involves different abilities like
perceptual, intellectual, mental skills and motor skills.
 4. Other types of aptitude: Musical, graphic, scholastic/professional
aptitudes.
5. Different types of aptitude that are testable include:
 General learning ability
 Verbal aptitude
 Numerical aptitude
 Inductive reasoning aptitude, also called differentiation or inductive
learning ability.
 Finger dexterity aptitude
 Number series aptitude
 Language learning
 Mechanical comprehension
 Symbolic reasoning aptitude
 Visual memory also called analytical reasoning.
 Visual pursuit, also called line tracing.

APTITUDE TEST TYPES

1. Verbal reasoning
2. Numerical reasoning
3. Abstract/inductive/diagrammatic reasoning
4. Logical reasoning
5. Specialty/technical/information technonlogy