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Results for “APTITUDE TEST”

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PubMed1996

U.S. Air Force pilot selection tests: what is measured and what is predictive?

Selection of military pilots has long included the use of multiple aptitude test batteries. Although the names and appearances of the tests used in pilot selection vary, most are to a large extent measures of general cognitive ability, or g. This is consistent with the central role played by cognitive ability measures in the prediction of numerous job training (r = 0.43) and performance (r = 0.34) criteria. Measures of specific cognitive abilities (e.g., verbal, quantitative, spatial, perceptual speed) have shown little incremental validity beyond g (increase in correlation of about 0.02). The incremental validity, beyond g, of measures of pilot job knowledge (e.g., aviation concepts, instruments, principles and terms; increase in correlation beyond g of about 0.08), psychomotor abilities, and personality scores (increase in correlation beyond g between 0.02 and 0.04) also has been small, but significant. The unavoidable requirement to reason in responding to test material causes g to be measured. In broad-ability-range samples, the positive correlations of the measures demonstrate that general cognitive ability is always present as a higher-order factor. Future measures of pilot aptitude may include tests based on cognitive components, chronometric methods, neural conductive velocity, or other methods. These measures, despite their appearance, have been shown to mostly measure g. Subsequently, we expect that future U.S. Air Force pilot selection tests will mostly be measures of g and will, therefore, continue to be predictive of performance.

Cognition↗
PubMed1995

[Receptive musical aptitude using a binaural frequency discrimination test].

Musical aptitude is the most important precondition for any applicant taking up studies at a music conservatory. Thus, the applicants are tested and assessed very thoroughly by experienced music teachers. To support these subjective results by objective data a procedure was developed allowing to test both the examinee's frequency and octave discrimination capacity in a simple way. In a 1-Hz cycle the frequencies f1 and f2 are directed mutually to the right and left ear, respectively, at a defined sound level. Then the examinee is asked to syntonize e.g. frequency equality f1 = f2 (or f1 = 2 x f2). It can be shown that there is a direct correlation between the amount of deviation from nominal frequency and subjective assessment of musicality.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Lower precombat intelligence is a risk factor for posttraumatic stress disorder.

The authors examined the relation between intelligence and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by studying the association among precombat intelligence, current intelligence, and self-reported PTSD symptoms. Military aptitude test results were obtained in 59 PTSD and 31 non-PTSD Vietnam combat veterans who had undergone a psychodiagnostic interview and current intelligence testing. People with lower precombat intelligence were more likely to develop PTSD symptoms as assessed by the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale even after adjustment for extent of combat exposure. The association between current intelligence and PTSD was no longer significant after adjusting for precombat intelligence. These results suggest that lower pretrauma intelligence increases risk for developing PTSD symptoms, not that PTSD lowers performance on intelligence tests.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

The selection of air traffic control specialists: history and review of contributions by the Civil Aeromedical Institute, 1960-80.

For two decades, the FAA Civil Aeromedical Institute ((CAMI) has explored the problems of effectively selecting air traffic control specialists (ATCSs) for the FAA. The results of those efforts have contributed directly to the establishment of revised ATCS selection standards by the Civil Service Commission (CSC). Early studies on the validity of aptitude tests for predicting successful completion of Academy training led to a decision to use such tests for part of the CSC screening standard. Later studies led to the establishment of a maximum age standard of 30 years for entry into ATCS training. In addition, CAMI researchers have continuously evaluated the validity of existing standards, have examined numerous variables and alternative aptitude measures, and have provided a number of data-based recommendations in an effort to improve predicting of success in ATCS training. This paper reviews that research with emphasis on aptitude screening measures, attrition, age, prior experience, education, sex, military ATCS training, and the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Utility of predicting group membership and the role of spatial visualization in becoming an engineer, physical scientist, or artist.

This article has two themes: First, we explicate how the prediction of group membership can augment test validation designs restricted to prediction of individual differences in criterion performance. Second, we illustrate the utility of this methodology by documenting the importance of spatial visualization for becoming an engineer, physical scientist, or artist. This involved various longitudinal analyses on a sample of 400,000 high school students tracked after 11 years following their high school graduation. The predictive validities of Spatial-Math and Verbal-Math ability composites were established by successfully differentiating a variety of educational and occupational groups. One implication of our findings is that physical science and engineering disciplines appear to be losing many talented persons by restricting assessment to conventional mathematical and verbal abilities, such as those of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Predictors of psychiatric illness among Navy hospital corpsmen.

Evaluated Recruit Temperament Survey (RTS) responses and aptitude test scores as potential predictors of psychiatric illness among 1,082 Navy hospital corpsmen. Twenty-six RTS items discriminated significantly between those corpsmen who became psychiatric casualties during a 4-year criterion period and those who did not; these items appeared to assess a construct of preservice personal and vocational adjustment. Scores on the aptitude measure were unrelated to illness incidence. The validity of the discriminating RTS items taken in combination for predicting psychiatric hospitalization among corpsmen was .28 with a cross-validity of .22. Implications of these findings for the use of measures such as the RTS in psychiatric screening were discussed.

Allied Health Personnel↗
PubMed1992

The search for a profile of aptitudes that characterize dentists.

This article is a reinterpretation of an unsuccessful attempt to develop a standard battery of aptitude measures to distinguish practicing dentists. Of 22 potential predictors used by a firm specializing in aptitude testing and career counseling, the national sample of 116 dentists tested showed few differences from the norm group, and some differences were counterintuitive. For example dentists performed no better than the norm on spatial visualization and worse than the norm on several measures of language skill and on finger dexterity. Based on these findings, this paper argues that a broad conceptualization is required when attempting to characterize the aptitudes necessary to complete dental education and to maintain a dental practice. The apparent inconsistency between these findings and successful prediction of performance in laboratory courses using available admissions instruments is explained.

Aptitude↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The role of nonacademic variables in passing the National Council Licensure Examination.

This study addressed the relationship between performance on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) and differences in test anxiety, cognitions related to testing, and academic performance among 102 senior bachelor's degree nursing students. The study design was correlational and prospective in nature. Test anxiety was measured by the Test Anxiety Inventory; cognitions were measured by the Cognitive Assessment Tool; quality point average and Student Aptitude Test scores measured academic aptitude. Subjects, recruited from two universities in western Pennsylvania, were interviewed and completed the self-report measures. Three months later, NCLEX scores were collected on each subject. Pearson's product moment correlation, multiple regression, and chi 2 statistics were used to analyze the data. Research findings indicated that test anxiety was inversely related to passing score on the NCLEX. Academic aptitude positively correlated with passing score on the NCLEX. Negative cognitions were not inversely related to pass rate on the NCLEX. Multiple regression demonstrated that self-perceived grades and self-predicted NCLEX scores were the best predictors of actual NCLEX scores. Significant chi 2 statistics indicated that subjects successful on the NCLEX were more likely to believe they were good test-takers and reported more facilitative thoughts during exams than those who failed the NCLEX.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Students classified as LD who petitioned for or fulfilled the college foreign language requirement-are they different? A replication study.

This replication study compared 86 petition students who received course substitutions for the college foreign language (FL) requirement with 40 nonpetition students who fulfilled the FL requirement by passing FL courses on cognitive and academic achievement measures and graduating grade point average. The results showed significant differences between the two groups, favoring the nonpetition group on one measure, the American College Testing (ACT) score, when IQ was used as a covariate; however, no significant group differences remained when ACT score was used as a covariate. More than half of the 126 petition and nonpetition students did not meet a minimum criterion for classification as learning disabled (LD), and more than half of both groups (54% and 63%, respectively) were not classified as LD before enrolling in college. Sixty percent of the petition students either had not taken an FL course in college or had achieved only grades of withdrawal before petitioning for substitution of the FL requirement. Implications addressed include petition students' persistence in fulfilling the FL requirement, students' use of instructional accommodations and services, criteria used to classify students as LD, use of the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT), and why some students classified as LD pass FL courses and other students classified as LD do not.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Retention of traditional premedical students in a medical career pathway compared with students in a combined baccalaureate-medical degree program.

This study compared the retention in medical career pathways of students enrolled in a combined baccalaureate-medical degree program to traditional premedical students at Brown University. Whereas 84% of the combined-degree students went on to medical school, only 36% of the traditional premedical students did. Among underrepresented minority students, the proportions were 74% and 39%, respectively. Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores accounted for some of the difference, yet even when SAT scores were controlled using a multiple logistic regression model, students enrolled in the combined-degree program were more than eight times as likely to continue in a medical career pathway.

Aptitude Tests↗
PubMed1994

Variations in cognitive, perceptual, and psychomotor abilities across the working life span: examining the effects of race, sex, experience, education, and occupational type.

Cognitive, perceptual, and psychomotor abilities were examined across the working life span for different racial groups, taking into consideration sex, job experience, education, and occupational type. Data included scores on all subtests of the General Aptitude Test Battery for White, Black, and Hispanic employees. Age and sex generally accounted for a relatively small percentage of the variance in ability test scores when experience, education, and occupational type were controlled. Race accounted for a substantial amount of variance in test performance, even after controlling for education, experience, occupational type, and age. Findings are discussed in terms of the potential for specific experiences and continuing education to affect the maintenance of abilities at later points in the life span for all racial groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

Medical flying fitness--a routine affair--but who examines and assesses psychic health.

The regular physiological check-up of pilots pretends to be a thorough diagnosis and yet the psychological aspects are ignored almost completely sometimes. As an excuse for this procedure, it is stated that in his psychological aptitude test prior to flying training, the pilot had already been classified as suitable and fit. It is hoped that this paper will show that the flying fitness examination procedure presently oriented towards the physical status of the individual is by no means sufficient to determine the actual degree of flying fitness.

Accidents, Aviation↗
PubMed2006

Effects of childhood sexual abuse on neuropsychological and cognitive function in college women.

Twenty-six college women with a history of repeated childhood sexual abuse were recruited from the community and compared with 19 healthy female collegiate subjects on neurocognitive measures. Abused subjects showed increased response latency variability and diminished inhibitory capacity during a GO/NO-GO/STOP vigilance task. A strong association was found between duration of abuse and memory impairments. Math Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores were significantly lower in abused subjects when matched against comparison subjects and when compared to their own Verbal SAT scores. Childhood sexual abuse appears to be associated with a constellation of neuropsychological deficiencies even in a group of relatively healthy women.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1988

Selecting candidates for a medical school: an evaluation of a selection model based on cognitive and personality predictors.

Two studies were conducted to attempt to evaluate the selection procedures used in Hadassah Medical School. The predictors assessed were the Israeli high school matriculation examinations, a general aptitude test, an interview and a semi-projective test designed to assess personality pathology. In the first study 145 students of the 1975 and 1976 cohorts were assessed, the criteria being a combination of peer evaluations, evaluation of supervisors and academic record. Results showed the matriculation average score to be the only effective predictor for all criteria. In the second study 155 students of the 1979, 1980 and 1981 cohorts were assessed, the criteria being evaluation of supervising doctors, BSc grades and grades during the clinical period. Results again indicated that the matriculation test is the most effective predictor. In this study, however, the other variables added to the prediction of criteria based on clinical evaluations. The results were discussed, raising several possible explanations for the relatively high validity of the matriculation scores. It was suggested the matriculation scores capture personality dimensions, such as motivation and adjustment to the learning environment, which are important factors for success in medical training.

Aptitude Tests↗
PubMed1964

THE PREMEDICAL STUDENT: HIS IDENTITY. CHARACTERISTICS OF A COHORT OF PREMEDICAL STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA.

A prospective study is currently being conducted of students who were freshmen at the University of British Columbia in 1961-1962. Three cohorts are being followed: 136 premedical students, 107 science students, and 136 persons comprising a sample of general arts students. At registration in 1961, the only demographic difference was that the Premedical cohort had a greater proportion of catholics and persons from upper occupational classes. Premedical students generally performed as well in high school as science students and better than general arts students, though the academic potential of science students as measured by achievement and aptitude tests was superior. Premedical students performed better on freshman examinations than the other cohorts, though a significantly larger proportion of science students (84.4%) actually passed into second year than of premedical students (75.0%). A disturbing observation was that by second year the Science cohort had recruited more than enough students to balance its losses, while the Premedical cohort had lost three times as many students as it recruited. The net effect was not much reduced by students who entered directly from senior matriculation or other universities, since these students were about twice as likely to enter the Science cohort as they were to enter the Premedical cohort.

Achievement↗
PubMed1996

Prediction of students' USMLE step 2 performances based on premedical credentials related to verbal skills.

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between the objective premedical credentials and performances on Step 2 on the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) of 480 students in three classes at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical College of Virginia School of Medicine. The purpose of the study was to seek those selection criteria that might best predict performance on an examination designed to assess problem-solving skills, the essence of clinical medicine. METHOD: Premedical data from two classes (1193, 1994) were analyzed, and a regression equation was used to calculate theoretical USMLE Step 2 scores for the students in the class of 1995, who had not yet taken this examination. The premedical variables were scores on the verbal and math section on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), scores on the six sections of the pre-1991 Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), grade-point average (GPA) in science courses required of premedical students, and undergraduate major. Once the class of 1995 had taken the USMLE Step 2, the equation was cross validated, and the theoretical and actual scores of the class of 1995 were correlated. RESULTS: The correlation between theoretical and actual scores was r = .443. In the analysis for the classes of 1993 and 1994, the single variables most highly predictive of USMLE Step 2 performance were scores on the verbal section of the SAT (r = .317) and the Skills Analysis: Reading section of the MCAT (r = .331). However, the MCAT scores were excluded from the final regression analysis because of the pre-1991 MCAT cannot be useful in predicting the performances of present medical school applicants. The resulting regression equation (using the SAT verbal section and premedical GPA) was able to account for 21.2% of the variance for the class of 1995. CONCLUSION: The use of the verbal section of the SAT as a predictive factor is unique. It is significant that this variable was strongly related to premedical GPA, suggesting that high verbal aptitude serves one well, even when coping with complex scientific concepts.

Aptitude↗
PubMed1982

The admission index in the dental school admissions process.

Preprofessional students' grade point averages (GPAs) and aptitude test scores have been moderately successful in predicting student performance in dental school. The authors attempted to improve the predictability of the school's admission process by combining several preprofessional academic averages and selected nongraded personal attributes into a single Admission Index (AI) score. A Pearson r of 0.67 was found for the relationship between the AI and first-year dental school GPA for University of Louisville dental students accepted into the class of 1984. The correlation coefficient generated from the AI and first-year dental school GPA was markedly superior to those generated by any single predictor. The authors propose that the AI is of value not only for its use in the admission process, but also in the development of an interceptive student monitoring program for the less-qualified student.

Aptitude Tests↗