Difference between achievement and aptitude tests
achievement test vs aptitude tests:
What ever the test type may be, any test is seen as equally cumbersome by the student body that has to face these challenges rather frequently. Yet these tests are compulsory tools in the education system which in turn helps the educators recognize where a child’s weaknesses and talents lie. Thus exists the achievement and aptitude tests which may sound equally irksome to a student and yet in reality carry some significant differences which can, indeed,help a student instead.
What is an achievement test?
Achievement tests, which are also referred to as content tests, are constant forms of subject specific testing that is given to an individual with the aim of measuring what skills or knowledge an individual has gained during a course of study. This measures the level of previously acquired knowledge and is useful in placing students in certain levels in courses as well as aiding the students in improving and gaining more insight in to the areas of his or her weaknesses.
Some examples for achievement tests can be stated as the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), the Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) which is very much different from the Scholastic Aptitude Test, also known as SAT, the California Achievement Test (CAT), the California Achievement Test, Fifth Edition (CAT/5), the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS) and the Personalized Achievement Summary System (PASS).
What is an aptitude test?
Aptitude tests generally measure out a person’s aptitude or potential or special skills and abilities such as numerical skills, etc. these tests measure out an individual’s capability to learn and it thus presents a general profile of a person’s strengths or weaknesses. Aptitude tests are widely used as a part of pre-enrollment procedure and in post-secondary school curricula programs. Some examples for aptitude tests can be stated as SAT ( Scholastic Aptitude Test) or SAT Resoning Test.
What is the difference between aptitude test and achievement test?
Whereas an achievement test measures the amount of knowledge and skills that have been acquired by an individual over the course of study, an aptitude test seeks to test an individual’s potential or special skills or abilities which had nothing to do with a course of study. Also, while achievement tests are generally confined to a specific subject or area of knowledge, aptitude tests are based on a more general sort of area of knowledge.
Another difference between the two tests can be stated due to the amount of pre-preparing needed. While achievement tests may require some previous studying and revising of the content that one has learned in a specific course overtime, aptitude tests require little or not preparing at all. Also, while achievement tests are usually given to students of a specific level who share certain similarities with regards to their educational backgrounds, intelligence, etc, aptitude tests are more of a random type of tests which can be given to groups of diverse individuals who belong to various educational levels, age or intelligence.