If you are reading this, you probably have received one or two sorry messages after an aptitude test session. I pretty much understand what it feels like. Trust me, it wasn’t funny. The most painful thing is that I had to travel for hours to the test centers,and the only thing standing between me and the dream job/scholarship is a weird aptitude test. After failing 14 different times, I got frustrated and stopped applying. I even thought maybe the sponsors already have their list, they are just trying to fulfill all righteousness by conducting the test. Not until a friend of mine landed an oversea scholarship through a Dragnet test. Then I became a believer and I embarked on a serious research to find why I just couldn’t get it right with aptitude tests. Thank Goodness, I found it was only 2 things I was doing wrong.
1. LATE PREPARATION (Waiting to be shortlisted before starting preparation)
To do well in aptitude tests, like everything else in life you have to be prepared!
There are certain skills you need to build, such as speed and accuracy for problem-solving tests. You can’t get that within a week or two before the assessment day. In numerical tests, most questions seem to follow a particular order, like finding percentage increase or by how much does A exceed B. You will answer these questions faster if you have mastered the tricks.
No matter what you are applying for, scholarships, Jobs or anything else that requires you to take an aptitude test, the best time to begin preparation is immediately after you hit the Submit button. Of course, you may want to say “ What if you are not shortlisted “ The truth is that you are always going to be shortlisted if you meet the eligibility criteria, but even if you don’t, the knowledge is not a waste. You will feel more confident when you are called for another test.
2. WRONG-READING ( Reading irrelevant materials )
I used to have an old GMAT text that my uncle used during his job searching days. It was a constant companion for me whenever I received a shortlist SMS. I also use to follow some NL thread and drop my “fake email” to see if someone can help with past questions but the e-books I always got were some psychometric books which never really helped. Little did I know I needed to know the exact format the test would take that year or at least the closest match. The best way to do that is to send your test admin an email requesting to know what format the test will take if you still have some time before the test date. I did that several times and I got positive responses. The information wasn’t detailed, but it did help me prepare. Alternatively, you can just check teststreams.com. A lot of the test packs have questions that closely match what you will find in the real test.
To pass your next aptitude test, just observe these two little secrets and you will be amazed how well you will perform.
Courtesy: Ibrahim Salawu (Currently work @ Huawei Technologies)
