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This is a very interesting question, because aptitude tests are a compelling and controversial area of employment.

Employment tests can measure aptitude (your natural ability to do certain things), personality (this can encompass everything from work preferences to honesty), and/or specific skill sets (anything from physical strengths to accounting knowledge). The more clearly defined the attribute being measured, the less subjective the test is likely to be, so skill tests tend to be the most cut-and-dried, personality tests the most open to interpretation, and aptitude tests somewhere in between.

If you are asked to take a test as part of an employment interview, the following are some questions you might want to ask:

• Is this test administered to all candidates for this type of position?
• How does the test relate to the job duties?
• Will I be given a copy of the test results?

On the other hand, if you are taking the test to help guide your own career direction, start by deciding what it is you want to measure: your raw abilities, your preferences, or your level of acquired skill. Most of all, whatever the result, view it as just one piece of a larger puzzle. No test can tell you what the right job for you is. However, if you are stuck for a direction, the results of an aptitude test could suggest some career choices you might not have thought of previously.