4 Things You Need To Know About Aptitude Tests In Kenya

Posted by | August 30, 2016 | Scholarships_CareerTips

By Selipha Kihagi

As the number of people applying for various positions continues to rise, employers are finding aptitude tests an ideal way to select the best candidate. Aptitude tests are designed to measure a candidate’s ability to perform tasks and deal with important information under various working conditions. These tests can be numerical – where you are tested on statistics and figures, verbal or personality based.

The aptitude tests you encounter will depend on your profession, the position you apply for and the employer.
Why do employers want you to take aptitude tests?

You may have wondered why some employers are keen on taking you through the hustle of an aptitude test. Or why your qualifications are not enough to warrant your suitability for a particular role. Well, employers do have their reasons and whether you believe in their reasons will not matter much if you want to get hired.

When employers ask you to take aptitude tests, they believe that your results will show if you can perform well in the job or not. How high you perform on the tests will translate to how high a performing employee you will be. The other reason why employers want you to take the aptitude tests is so they can reduce the number of qualified applicants.

With the shaky economy contributing to job cuts, open positions receive a ton of applicants that even recruiters cannot sift through. To avoid leaving out qualified applicants based on simple mistakes on their CVs, employers use aptitude test scores to select the best candidates.

That said, below is everything you need to know about aptitude tests.

All You Need To Know About Aptitude Tests

1. There is no standard pass mark in aptitude tests

Aptitude tests are usually scored in figures and percentages. For example you could score 28 out of 30, 6 out of 10 or have an 80% score. This though is just a figure and whether you pass or not will be dependent on other people’s performances. What does this mean? As mentioned earlier, there is no standard pass mark you will be required to meet.

Employers will use past performances of people in your area of study to gauge your performance. For instance, while a test score of 25 out of 30 may appear great performance to you, if the average score of other people in your profession is at 27, then that becomes a low score. And if you score 6 of 10 in a personality score and the employer is looking for a 9, then you miss out on the opportunity.

2. Aptitude tests are done online or on premise

When was the last time you were in an exam room? Some professions will take you back to a classroom scene during their recruitment process. You will be required to sit among other candidates for the aptitude test, which can be nerve-wracking.

Alternatively, employers can send the tests to you online and you can do them at the comfort of your home. The two cases will also apply if you are working with recruitment agencies for your tests, but the advantage is you get to make the choice.

3. Contrary to popular belief, you can control your aptitude test scores

You may have heard that you never know what questions will be asked during the aptitude tests. Well, while this may be true there is a high chance that you can know exactly what to expect. These tests are just like the exams you had in school; if you prepared beforehand then your chances of passing were high and vice versa.

Just as practice makes perfect for common interview questions, so is it true for aptitude tests. Practising taking these tests in a controlled environment and timing yourself through the whole process will help you ace the aptitude tests without question. Luckily you can find free versions of these tests online, but if you want a more professional and accurate test, then you should consider paying for one. In some cases, if the tests were from a certified provider, employers can use those results instead of taking you through another aptitude test.

4. Even the smartest of applicants can score low in an aptitude test

Are you great in math? Do you enjoy manipulating figures and solving problems? Well, that’s all good. But to ace an aptitude test in Kenya, you will require more than mathematical prowess. Aptitude tests are always timed and psychologically altered to tap on your reasoning and logic. They also contain more than the numerical aspect, meaning you will be required to portray a personality that is able to deal with difficult people in the office too.