Meaning & use
aptitude test
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A test that measures a person's natural ability or likely success in a particular skill or kind of work.
Grammar: Countable: take an aptitude test.
Patterns
- take an aptitude test
- an aptitude test for something
She took an aptitude test to see which career might suit her.
The army uses an aptitude test to place new recruits.
The company requires an online aptitude test before the interview.
Word forms
| plural | aptitude tests |
|---|
Common combinations
- take an aptitude test
- He took an aptitude test at school.
- pass an aptitude test
- You must pass the aptitude test to be hired.
- aptitude test results
- The aptitude test results suggested engineering.
- a verbal aptitude test
- A verbal aptitude test checks language skills.
- a numerical aptitude test
- The job needs a numerical aptitude test.
Synonyms and how they differ
- achievement test
- An achievement test checks what you have learned, while an aptitude test predicts potential.
- IQ test
- An IQ test measures general intelligence rather than ability for a specific job.
- entrance exam
- An entrance exam decides admission and may test learned knowledge.
- personality test
- A personality test studies traits, not skills.
Word family
- aptitude noun
- natural ability
- apt adjective
- suitable or likely
- aptly adverb
- in a fitting way
- ineptitude noun
- lack of skill
Commonly confused: aptitude test or attitude?
aptitude test vs attitude
Attitude is a way of thinking or feeling; aptitude is natural ability.
Practice
The career counselor gave her an ___ test to find out which skills came naturally to her.
Choose one answer.
An aptitude test measures natural ability. An achievement test measures learned knowledge, so it is the tempting wrong option.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “aptitude test”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.