This is the final post in our discussion on understanding the different types of aptitude tests. We wrote this because the internet contains droves of aptitude test scams. If students use a fake aptitude test to help pick their major, they’re rolling the dice with their future and their tuition money. This series helps parents and students understand the best aptitude tests available. Furthermore, using this guide, you’ll know how to avoid fake aptitude tests. For your convenience, a link and summary to each of the articles in this series are provided below.
Where Can I Take An Aptitude Test?
This article describes where each student can take an aptitude test. There are three primary aptitude tests that a high school student would benefit from:
- The Highlands Ability Battery (HAB)
- The Johnson O’Connor Aptitude Test
- The Aims Aptitude Test
For the most part, any other assessment claiming to be an aptitude test is fake.
The Highlands Ability Battery
To take the Highlands Ability Battery, students must go through a licensed HAB consultant. This career aptitude test remains the most affordable, robust, and flexible aptitude test in terms of availability. One of the best parts of this assessment is that no travel is needed to take it, as it is administered to students electronically.
The Johnson O’Connor Aptitude Test
Students must travel to take the Johnson O’Connor Aptitude Test. The Johnson O’Connor test is available in any city that has one of its research locations. For a comprehensive list of each Johnson O’Connor location, see the list below:
Johnson O’Connor Locations
- Austin, TX
- Atlanta, GA
- Boca Raton, FL
- Boston, MA
- Chicago, IL
- Dallas, TX
- Denver, CO
- Houston, TX
- Los Angeles, CA
- New York, NY
- Mint Hill, NC
- San Francisco, CA
- Seattle, WA
- Washington D.C.
The AIMS Aptitude Test
AIMS is the final aptitude test we recommend. They have one location in Dallas, Texas. Therefore, if you want to take their aptitude test, you’ll need to travel to their Dallas location to measure your aptitude. While an incredible aptitude assessment, AIMS is the most expensive and least accessible. However, they have many resources devoted to helping students prepare for college. For a more comprehensive assessment summary, read the final article in the series “What is the AIMS Aptitude Test.”
What is an Aptitude Test?
This aptitude test article serves as a guide to aptitude testing. This article should include everything you want to know about aptitude tests. In addition, you’ll find a detailed description of every aptitude measured on the Highlands Ability Battery.
The Highlands Ability Battery came from the written portion of the Johnson O’Connor Aptitude Test. Because of this, this article also serves as a good overview of what students would mainly experience on the Johnson O’Connor Test. See the summary below for a heavily abbreviated overview of the article.
- Personal Style: Aptitudes and Personalities
- Primary Career Aptitudes or Driving Abilities
- Specialized Career Aptitudes
- Career Aptitude Reports
At the end of the article, we show two sample aptitude testing reports students receive after completing their aptitude tests. The first article is the student career report.[1] This report primarily focuses on how students can match their aptitude to potential careers. An incredible feature of this report lies in the report’s integration with O’Net,[2] the department of labor’s database for every occupation in the US. While, yes, there are funner things to look at on the internet, this database is a powerful career and college planning tool. The career aptitude report gives you a list of occupations that align with your aptitudes. The report provides you with the following helpful information on each career:
- Average Salary
- Education Requirements
- Demand of Occupation
- Demand of Occupation in Each State
The second report is the standard student report.[3] This report goes into deeper detail about each career aptitude. Again, this article is for those looking to research everything a student experiences while taking an aptitude test. Give it a thorough analysis if you’re in the market for an aptitude test.
What is the Johnson O’Connor Aptitude Test?
For students wanting to take the Johnson O’Connor Aptitude Test, this article is for you. The Johnson O’Connor Test is the oldest aptitude test available. When we say “old,” we don’t mean dated or stale. The Johnson O’Connor foundation has researched aptitude assessments for more than a century.[4] While the Johnson O’Connor Aptitude Test isn’t as accessible as the Highlands Ability Battery, it has more than a dozen locations.[5] So, while you’ll likely need to travel to take their aptitude test, you won’t have to travel as far as you would the AIMS aptitude assessment, which is the final article in the series.
What is the AIMS Aptitude Test?
The last article in the series will teach you about the AIMS aptitude test. As we said above, the organization offers many free resources[6] for college planning that is meant to be used in tandem with their services. However, their resources can be used with other aptitude testing reports: such as the Johnson O’Connor Aptitude Test and the Highlands Ability Battery. The main disadvantage of the AIMS Aptitude Test is two-fold:
- Costing $925.00, the AIMS Test is the most expensive aptitude test
- With only one location, the AIMS Aptitude Test is the least accessible and likely requires the longest travel time
These are not digs at the AIMS Aptitude Test or the AIMS organization. The assessment is quality and would greatly help any student who chooses to take it to prepare for college. However, due to the nature of this series, we want to ensure that you know each aptitude test’s limitations. Read the full article for a more thorough understanding of the strengths and limitations of the AIMS aptitude test.
Conclusion
Thank you for following along as we summarized the three best aptitude tests available. If you have questions about where to take your aptitude test, schedule a free consultation with us. For free college planning tips and aptitude testing updates, follow our newsletter.
Happy Testing!
References
[1] Customized Career Exploration Report – The Highlands Company, Odyssey College Prep, accessed at https://www.highlandsco.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Student-Career-Sample-Report-082022.pdf on 27 January 2023.
[2] O*NET OnLine. – O*NET OnLine, accessed at https://www.onetonline.org/ on 27 January 2023.
[3] CONFIDENTIAL REPORT for Sample Student. – The Highlands Company, Odyssey College Prep, accessed at https://www.highlandsco.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Student-Sample-062822.pdf on 27 January 2023.
[4] Aptitude Testing and Research for College and Career Guidance – Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation, accessed at https://www.jocrf.org/ on 27 January 2023.
[5] Aptitude Testing and Research for College and Career Guidance – Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation, accessed at https://www.jocrf.org/ on 27 January 2023.
[6] News & Resources — AIMS. – AIMS, accessed at https://www.aimstesting.org/news-resources on 27 January 2023.
