Aptitude test to help students decide subjects in Class XI, XII

Naina Mishra

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 19

Can’t decide which subjects to choose for senior secondary classes? Worry not! The CBSE and NCERT will now help you with it.

The CBSE, in association with the NCERT, has come up with an aptitude test — ‘Tamanna’ (Try and Measure Aptitude and Natural Abilities) — for students of Classes IX and X for determining their area of interest.

However, the board has clarified that the aptitude test is suggestive and should not be used as the sole deciding factor for choosing subjects. The test will be carried out at the school level and a test booklet has been given to all schools, along with score keys.

Reema Dewan, Principal of Delhi Public School, Sector 40, said: “The exercise is known as ‘Know Your Aptitude’ (KYA). The preparing authority is the NCERT and the controlling authority is the CBSE. They also plan to train some teachers who can assess the test. The initiative is to make sure that Class IX and X students know their strength and weakness. The test will be self-analysis of sorts so that students choose the right subject.”

Students, teachers and parents have been told that the aptitude test gives information related to the strength of students and there is no pass or fail criteria. The test should be taken voluntarily by the interested students and must not be used to impose any subject, courses of study and/or vocations on them.

Seven subsets of aptitude

Language aptitude (LA) deals with the ability to use and understand written language; abstract reasoning (AR) deals with the ability for logical and analytical thinking; verbal reasoning (VR) is the ability to reason concepts expressed in words; mechanical reasoning (MR) is the ability to apply mechanical concepts and solve problems; numerical aptitude (NA) is the ability to do mathematical operations quickly and accurately; spatial aptitude (SA) is the ability test required to judge how an object would look like when constructed in a given way; and perpetual aptitude (PA) is the ability to meaningfully compare visual information.

A cluster of aptitudes is required to perform effectively in a course of study or in an occupation. Therefore, the choice of a course of study or occupation should not be based on performance in one single aptitude only.

Low score in all subsets

To help such students, educational and career planning sessions maybe organised and they may also be referred to the school counsellor for career counselling.

According to the aptitude manual, several students may not score high on any of the seven subtests. This does not mean that they lack the ability to pursue further education or training in courses to choose a career. Such students need assistance for self-exploration and encouraging participation in various school activities of their interest, in addition to the subjects of study.

Courses complementary to aptitude test

Language aptitude Teaching, journalism, advertising, law, library science, stenography 

Abstract reasoning Mathematics, computer programming, architecture, forensic science 

Verbal reasoning Psychology, speech therapist, public relations, linguistic, auctioneering

Mechanical reasoning Engineering, machine operator, carpentry, electrician

Numerical aptitude Oceanography, meteorology, bioscience, statistics, banking

Spatial aptitude Designing, urban planning, animation, multimedia, astronomy

Perpetual aptitude Police detectives, data entry, bank-teller, dispatching, assembly work