This study aimed to develop, pilot, and validate an aptitude test for Hungarian learners of English. A literature review on the construct and tests of aptitude is followed by two parts: a pilot phase on the development of a new aptitude test and a main study involving 419 12-year-old children in 10 schools. Data were collected on the aptitude…

As developer and custodian of the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB), the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) is responsible for ensuring that its use meets established professional standards. Considering the logistical problems of overseeing the use of the GATB at more than 2,000 separate sites, the USDOL has confronted a monumental task in the…

A sample of 22,923 students who had taken the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test in the academic years 1983-84 and 1984-85, and who had also taken the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) 4 or 5 years earlier was identified and classified by undergraduate field of study (four major curriculum categories) and sex. Several analyses were…

The concept of aptitude is reviewed, and the uses and misuses of aptitude tests are considered. Many aptitude tests measure general ability plus certain more specialized abilities that are important for success in particular educational programs. Aptitude tests can be subdivided into: (1) group-administered aptitude tests, such as the Scholastic…

This article reviews progress toward the development of a cognitive theory of aptitude for learning and presents descriptive and precriptive goals for aptitude theories. Preliminary hypotheses about the nature of cognitive processes in aptitude for learning from instruction are reviewed. Twelve constituent points of the descriptive theory are…

Offers a practical evaluation and a technical evaluation of a military-generated career exploration program. Concludes that the instrument is a superb example of a multiple-aptitude battery due to its psychometrics, extensive norming data, and excellent materials. Cautions against adoption of instrument for civilian use without further testing.…

The research for this study was undertaken to analyze the New York State 11th grade United States History Regents exams through conducting a content analysis of the types of multiple-choice questions asked in Part I of the tests with a particular emphasis on the variety of questions asked regarding women and race. Because these tests stand at the…

Three former secretaries of education--William Bennett, Lauro Cavazos, and Terrel Bell--have touted state-level SAT scores as proof that educational financing does not matter. Recently, Brian Powell and Lala Carr Steelman adjusted scores for participation rate and detected a very strong relationship between expenditures and SAT scores. Bigger…

This article responds to criticisms made in the Ebmeier and Schmulbach study (EC 221 845) of the Scholastic Aptitude Test as used by talent search programs such as the Center for the Advancement of Academically Talented Youth (CTY). The history of CTY's uses of cutoff scores and alternative interpretations of statistics are discussed. (PB)

This paper estimates the effect of a state-imposed curriculum mandate on the academic achievement of US public school students. By 1998, 14 states across the US had mandates that high school students should take an economics course. For these states, the proportions of public schools students taking high school economics was around twice that of…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of two different admission procedures (high school grades/scholastic aptitude test (SAT) versus high school grades/SAT + interview) to a program in professional psychology on students' and supervisors' experiences of the group climate in psychotherapy supervision groups during an eighteen-month…

Questions concerning individual differences in learning ability may be more precisely addressed in light of an agreed-upon taxonomy of learning skills. Existing taxonomies are reviewed, and their shortcomings are described. A taxonomy is then proposed based on a synthesis of current thought consisting of four dimensions: the forms of knowledge;…

The Vocational Instruction, Training and Assessment (VITA) Project conducted a study to determine whether a battery of tests used with a sample of handicapped students enrolled in vocational education program(s) could aid in predicting success in vocational training. Procedures, instruments, and student samples were selected to provide data on (1)…

A study investigated the incremental value of a medical reasoning aptitude test to predict students' overall medical school performance and knowledge and clinical reasoning during preclinical years and clerkship performance. (MSE)

The strengths and weaknesses of five typical machine-scored test formats are discussed, specific recommendations for format selection are made, and reasons for the importance of format are examined. (MSE)