Use aptitude tests when you need to measure a person's capabilities and potential.

• Aptitude tests can measure general intelligence, space visualization, mathematical aptitude, verbal conceptualization, and other capabilities.
• Some are performance simulations, such as a manual dexterity test that requires the test taker to manipulate small parts on a test board. A successful completion of this exercise would demonstrate the applicant's aptitude for small assembly work.

 

Aptitude tests administered at the pre-job offer stage can run afoul of the Americans with Disabilities Act if the employer, with the help of a psychologist, determines that certain patterns of answers on the test provide evidence that an applicant could have a psychological impairment. In other words, in some cases, aptitude tests can be used against you to claim that you discriminated against a job applicant who had a legally protected disability.