Career Aptitude Test for Teens

There are countless types of jobs and numerous career paths to take. Teenagers may be interested in a lot of different careers and have trouble deciding the precise one that goes along with their skills and their desires. This is where career aptitude tests come in handy, providing a straightforward way to help discover an individual's strong suits. The tests offer a teenager useful information as he explores his options for education and beyond.

Career aptitude tests aim to gauge an individual's personality, inclination, ability and attraction within designated fields. There are various kinds of these tests which address a person's quantitative (mathematics, logic, objective) and qualitative (attitude, perspective, subjective) abilities. For example, a teenager who scores high on the quantitative questions may be told that occupations like accounting, banking, business and sales are the best match for her. Others, who have strengths in the qualitative arena, may be recommended professions that require creativity or social skills.

These tests may also be referred to as career planning tests and can be administered on paper or done on the computer. There is no right or wrong answer regarding any of the questions on the test; they're only used to evaluate the individual's answers within an assortment of disciplines, including imagination, philanthropy, self-assurance, monetary compensation, physical activity and social interactions.

In general, the most commonly used career assessment test for teenagers is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) (see Resources below). The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator measures personality by weighing four categories: extraversion/introversion, sensing/intuition, thinking/feeling and judging/perceiving. The results center on these categories and subsequently offer data regarding occupations, industries and labor environments that fit with the individual's personality. Such results are considered to illustrate the type of job that will both stimulate and suit the individual.

The Strong Interest Inventory is another test that's often used to ascertain a teenager's ideal career fit (see Resources). This test calculates a teenager's level of interest within six chief job groups: conventional, investigative, realistic, artistic, enterprising and social. Afterward, it tallies the scores in respects to the that careers match them the closest. The Strong Interest Inventory outcome can assist a teen when it comes to recognizing the particular responsibilities that are involved with specific occupations and the degree to which his interests correspond to the potential careers.

These tests are not intended to limit one's prospects or future, but to help her determine the careers that match up with the results. In many cases it's a good idea to have the test administered by a professional, so he can oversee and explain the results.