Is the Highlands Ability Battery (HAB) useful as a career aptitude test? The short answer is a resounding “yes.” However, if you asked me this in person, I’d likely answer your question with a question of my own. That question would sound something like this:
“That depends on what you need a career aptitude test for. What do you hope the Highlands Ability will provide you or your student?”
I’ve heard a wide range of answers. Most of these answers can be summarized by the bullets below:
- How can the Highlands Ability Battery be an aptitude test for college majors?
- Is the Highlands Ability Battery a reliable college major assessment?
- Can the Highlands Ability Battery help me figure out the right college major?
- What makes the Highlands Ability Battery a practical college major aptitude test?
In this article, we’ll explain to parents and students seeking answers to these questions. While our last article in the Highlands Ability Battery (HAB) Series focused on how much the HAB costs, this article will focus on what the career aptitude assessment does.
What does the Highlands Ability Battery do?
Aptitude tests measure one thing: aptitudes. Aptitudes, or natural talents, prime us to excel at specific tasks. And unlike personalities or interests, our aptitudes don’t change over time. That means the data you yield from aptitude assessments has a longer shelf life.
Consider the five aptitudes below. Consider how useful it might be for students to know their measurements of these aptitudes.
Concept Organization: This aptitude is crucial for careers that involve organizing complex ideas and tasks, such as project management, event planning, and academic research. Attornies, software developers, academic professors, and financial planners I work with often score high on this ability.
Spatial Relations Visualization: Students with this aptitude excel in fields that require the ability to mentally manipulate objects in three dimensions, like architecture, engineering, and industrial design.
Verbal Memory: A strong verbal memory is beneficial for careers in law, education, and journalism, where recalling and utilizing written information is essential.
Idea Productivity: This aptitude is vital for careers in marketing, entrepreneurship, and creative writing, where generating new ideas and innovative solutions is a daily necessity.
Observation: Being highly observant is valuable in careers that demand attention to detail, such as forensic science, quality control, and art conservation.
These are just five of the nineteen aptitudes the Highlands Ability Battery measures. Remember, their aptitudes won’t typically change when students acquire their results. Thus, their high or low aptitudes help them curate a list of careers to explore that harmonize with their strengths. After a student takes the assessment, the Student Career Report of the HAB shows which careers and occupations match their aptitudes (click image below).
If you’re interested in each aptitude measured by the HAB, read our What is an aptitude test? Article. Now, however, let’s determine why you might choose the HAB over other assessments.
Why choose the Highlands Ability Battery over other Aptitude Tests?
The merits of taking an aptitude test are apparent. However, finding a reliable one can be tricky business. The trick to that business is finding an aptitude test that measures aptitudes. For example, take a look at the screenshot I took below.
As you can see, this image is from a Google search I did to find different aptitude tests. Here’s the tragic part, though: None of these options are actual aptitude tests.
All of them are either personality assessments or interest surveys.
To be clear, I’m not starting a witch hunt against personality assessments. I use the ProScan Survey all the time when I hire new employees. Personality tests provide insightful value in predicting behaviors in various social environments but don’t measure aptitudes. Claiming they do to anyone, especially an aspiring professional, goes beyond unethical.
There are only three comprehensive aptitude tests we recommend for students. The HAB is one such assessment. And of those three assessments, the HAB makes the most sense for most US families. Now, if the HAB sounds like the best career aptitude test for you, keep reading to learn about the aptitudes the assessment measures and how the assessment can help students.
To learn about the other two aptitude tests we recommend, consider reading the following articles:
Highlands Ability Battery Reviews
Here are several reviews that students, parents, and professionals made about the HAB. A disclaimer regarding these reviews: for better or worse, many reviews regarding my aptitude testing services review my abilities as a consultant or specialist. So far, the reviews on our Google business profile are favorable. I’m not saying this to beat my chest or flex my consulting expertise. I want to point out that when clients feel I’ve provided them with excellent aptitude testing services, please know that I wouldn’t have been able to provide that service without the Highlands Ability Battery.
In a sense, while the wizard matters more than the wand, the wizard can’t use magic without it. So it is with aptitude specialists. Our knowledge, experience, and expertise hinges on access to our tools. That tool is the HAB. Therefore, any praise for my skills as a consultant is praise for the HAB.
Highlands Ability Battery Review #1
Through Odyssey College Prep, I had the opportunity to learn from what was easily the most thorough and engaging aptitude assessment I have ever taken. And while the assessment produced an abundance of interesting results (pages and pages of results!) that could have been overwhelming to analyze independently, it was all made more than digestible (and even fun to explore!) by Odyssey’s Marc Gray. It was completely obvious throughout the entirety of our 2+ hour review session that he absolutely loved what he was doing and that he had found his perfect fit supporting people in their academic and career journeys. Regardless of where you are in your life and career, taking an assessment like theirs and using to it objectively reflect on your abilities can prove to be an invaluable investment in your personal growth and professional development – it certainly was for me!
Highlands Ability Battery Review #2
We went to Odyssey to take their aptitude test for my son who is a Jr. in high school. My son is in the process of considering college programs. Marc made him feel comfortable right away.
He clearly outlined the testing and results. He took a lot of time going over the categories and helping my son understand the data. The results helped my son understand why he struggled with certain learning styles and excelled in others. The aptitude testing also helped my son identify areas of study and career options that cratered to his natural interests and aptitude.
We had a very positive experience with Marc and can recommend him wholeheartedly.
Highlands Ability Battery Review #3
I studied computer science in college. While I had a knack for coding, I struggled to know which subindustry of programming to pursue professionally. Marc, the aptitude specialist I was assigned, was so easy and fun to work with. He broke down my results and showed me I have a strong aptitude for working with images and design. It was really interesting to see how one test could reveal so much about me.
I came away with a list of specific careers that align with my strengths. Honestly, it’s worth the money and the time. If you’re thinking about making a career switch or are in high school or college and need to pick a major, I would highly recommend taking this.
HAB Aptitude Testing Review Summary
As you can see from the reviews, taking the HAB is a highly personalized experience. Many parents and students take it for one reason but end up appreciating the experience for another. For example, one student I worked with took the assessment to see if they should major in finance or biology to prepare for medical school. When we tested him, he discovered he has a penchant for coding, a massive aptitude for numbers, and a strong resilience for doing repetitive work.
As an aptitude testing specialist, this screamed accountant to me. I looked at his Highlands Ability Battery Career Report; an accountant appeared in big, bold letters. When I recommended an accountant, his mom and he smiled. His father and his brother are both accountants.
As a side note, some research suggests that some of our aptitudes are hereditary, which I explained to them.
He was intrigued by the coding capabilities he possessed. He’d never considered it. And why should he have? Students, be they in college or high school, are primarily limited by one thing: a lack of experience. Like adults, students don’t know what they don’t know. A student with no coding experience lacks the awareness that they possess an aptitude for coding.
In that case, study lies the heart and soul of the value the HAB gives students. What tasks are you good at that you’re not aware of? The HAB just might be the tool that tells you. In the example above, the mentioned student lacks a formal understanding of computer programming. However, his aptitudes allowed him to pick a college major and master the necessary skills.
Schedule Your Highlands Ability Battery Today
The earlier a student takes the Highlands Ability Battery, the better. The sooner students discover their aptitudes, the sooner they can experiment and explore career options. Schedule your student’s aptitude test today by clicking on the link below.
If you’re not entirely convinced (shame on you), consider joining our newsletter to gain access to college admissions hacks, aptitude testing tips, and test prep.
Best of luck, and happy testing!
-Marc
