Mental Aptitudes

The Achiever measures six Mental Aptitudes:Mental Acuity, Business Terms, Memory Recall, Vocabulary, Numerical Perception and Mechanical Interest. When reading the "X" pattern scored by the respondent, it is important to bear in mind the job in question. For example, a low score in Mental Acuity can be desirable when a person is being considered for a routine job that can be boring in nature. A high score is critical for a professional or an executive who must be capable of solving complicated and complex problems and dealing with other individuals who are "fast thinkers."

Further, if the job does not require a knowledge of business terminology or the ability to communicate well in written or oral forms, then the Business Terms and Vocabulary scores may be disregarded. In other words, do not consider these scores as pertinent unless they are job related. Likewise, the Memory Recall, Numerical Perception and Mechanical Interest measurements are important only when they are critical for success in the position being evaluated.

In short, the Mental Aptitude scores as a pattern must be compared to the job description and requirements, utilizing those aptitudes that are job related and disregarding those that are not. Ideally, you will be comparing the scores of the applicant to the benchmarked job standards of successful people.

MENTAL ACUITY

The Mental Acuity aptitude of The Achiever is designed to measure judgment, learning speed and reasoning ability. The latter is a composite substructure encompassing practical reasoning, deductive reasoning, syllogistic reasoning and reasoning when reading.

Low scores, stanines 1-3, are representative of individuals who learn slowly. On the whole, they do not read quickly and they learn more effectively through repetitive processes, requiring the opportunity to take notes, read things twice and review their notes. They deal adequately with concrete data when they have the time to input and encode it in small, manageable amounts. They require more specifics and guidelines in a job situation. A low score also indicates that the hiring company cannot reasonably expect the applicant to engage in personal self-improvement projects involving school or study. Generally, an individual scoring at this level is well adapted to a position which provides a high concentration of routine and structured work. Normally, low scorers do not react well in supervisory or managerial situations, especially when they have to sell, manage or supervise people who are more mentally alert than they are. They are not adept at solving complicated problems and, generally, find it difficult to cope with emergency or high pressure situations.

Persons scoring in the 4 through 6 stanine range normally have average problem solving and deductive reasoning ability. Individuals at this level continue to learn and obtain information most efficiently through repetitive processes, especially if the data is of a more complex nature.

An Achiever score of 7 through 9 indicates superior Mental Acuity and, if combined with the right personality traits, should enable the individual to handle work of a creative, professional, executive or administrative nature. Individuals who score at this level assimilate information well on first exposure and can utilize it appropriately. High scorers deal effectively with abstract and concrete data and generally have strong long-term memories. Strengths in this area also include the ability to foresee consequences, plan logically and think analytically. Furthermore, high scorers have the ability to use strategy selection and the flexibility to reach their goals. Generally, these individuals will enjoy restructuring or long-range planning and need challenge in their position to maintain their motivation.

BUSINESS TERMS

The Business Terminology aptitude measures an individual's knowledge and use of the terms normally used in a business environment. A person's interest in business matters will also be substantially reflected by this score.

Low scores, stanine levels 1 through 3, are indicative of individuals who have not been exposed to business or at least have not been placed in a position where they had a need or desire to learn such business terms as asset, debit, credit, collateral, etc. This measurement is not related in any way to a person's Mental Acuity score. It is possible for someone to score high in Mental Acuity and low in Business Terms strictly based on the previous learning situations that the person has been exposed to which utilized business language. If an individual's scores in this dimension are low and the job requires such skills, then that person should be exposed to more business terminology.

The average level scores, stanine levels 4 through 6, indicate a moderate or normal level of knowledge and use of business words. These scores reflect an adequate ability to communicate with people above and below the person in job situations requiring the use of business terminology.

High scores, levels 7 through 9, reflect an outstanding knowledge of business words. The individual has had extensive exposure to the specialized language of business and/or is interested in business-related matters and has learned the terminology as a result of that interest.

In the event an individual's position requires the ability to communicate proficiently with business terms and he or she needs to embark on a self-improvement program, periodicals such as the Wall Street Journal, Business Week and others of this nature will enhance and increase the knowledge and use of business words for that individual. In summary, consideration must be given to whether this dimension is pertinent to the requirements of the job. Further, we must emphasize that although the person may have a lower Mental Acuity score, he or she may score high in Business Terminology. Furthermore, an individual certainly has the ability to improve his or her knowledge and use of business words through study. However, if the person has a low Mental Acuity score, it will take more time to learn new terms and use them properly.

MEMORY RECALL

The Memory Recall measurement is designed to determine the extent to which an individual knows and remembers what is occurring in the world at national, state and local levels. This measurement is not only indicative of an individual's range of interests but is also closely related to observational skills, attention span, ability to concentrate, desire and practice.

Low scorers, individuals scoring in the 1 through 3 range, basically are neither concerned nor interested in what goes on in the world around them. They do not keep up well with national events and they're not familiar with activities in the political or economic arenas at the state or local level. Further, they are not oriented to put forth the effort to keep up well with the extraneous factors which may affect their economic well-being, both from a personal and a business standpoint. Low scorers are generally not individuals who you would expect to be informed nor should they be placed in those situations where an astute person is required unless a development program is instituted to improve their knowledge of current events.

Individuals who score in the average range, 4 through 6, tend to keep up moderately well with what goes on in the world around them. They have an average awareness of the competition and average observational skills. Unless the position requires an extensive knowledge of current events and things happening in the world, this degree of Memory Recall should be sufficient for most situations.

Individuals who score high in Memory Recall, stanine scores 7 through 9, will utilize their skills to keep abreast of current events and those factors that will affect the status of their organization. A person in a top management position needs to score quite high in this dimension to ensure that he or she will keep up with competitors, competitive and market trends, economic conditions, new product lines and other factors which will facilitate quick reaction to changing competitive and market conditions.

When evaluating the Memory Recall segment of The Achiever, the employer must keep in mind that this measurement may or may not have any bearing on the position, depending on its correlation to the benchmark pattern for that particular job description. In any case, it is an area where self-improvement is certainly possible and individuals scoring below seven should be encouraged to expand their interest level in the current events area. Additionally, it should be noted that Mental Acuity has no affect on this measurement except that individuals who score low in the Mental Acuity segment will have to put in more time and effort to enhance their knowledge of current events.

VOCABULARY

The Vocabulary measurement is designed to produce an indication of the level of general English vocabulary the individual possesses. It is our contention that a person has a better opportunity to understand, communicate, find solutions, command respect and motivate others when possessing a good vocabulary. Communications with a peer group will be succinct and expedient for the person with the better vocabulary. Additionally, a strong vocabulary promotes confidence and expressiveness in both oral and written form when dealing with others.

Low scores, 1 through 3, are characterized by individuals who do not possess a strong general English vocabulary. They may have to "grasp" for words in order to effectively get their message across to others. It is possible that English is the individual's second language; however, if communication on the job is to be done in English, it is still important that the person attempt to improve in this area.

Average scores, which fall in the 4 through 6 range, indicate a normal mastering of the English vocabulary and its use in communication with others in both oral and written forms. Generally, individuals scoring in this range are capable of getting their message across to others and can read and understand all but the most complicated material without experiencing difficulty.

High scorers, 7 through 9, have an excellent grasp of general English vocabulary. These individuals are capable of effectively communicating with others, on all levels, in both oral and written forms. These individuals may, however, need to be careful not to communicate at a level above the comprehension of others.

This aptitude is one which can be modified and improved upon quite readily. It has little relation to the Mental Acuity measurement except that individuals scoring lower in Mental Acuity must put forth more effort to improve their vocabulary skills.

NUMERICAL PERCEPTION

The Numerical Perception segment of The Achiever measures an individual's ability to differentiate and accurately handle matching numbers, symbols and signs. Candidates are asked to quickly distinguish differences and incongruities between sets of numbers, checking those which are alike. This aptitude further measures the ability to identify critical features as well as focal attention.

Persons scoring in stanine levels 1-3 are not perceptively oriented and do not visualize details quickly and accurately. They would not function well in positions requiring visual skills, differentiating between numbers or symbols, analyzing financial statements, sorting or coding items, checking, mailing, shipping or other similar functions. These individuals are more accident and error prone due to their lack of perceptual ability and focal attention. They are slow readers and do not handle numbers or figures accurately.

Individuals scoring in the moderate range, stanines 4-6, will have adequate scanning ability, provided the job does not require close attention to details. Any numerically-related tasks performed by individuals scoring in this range should be rechecked by someone else to guard against errors.

Respondents scoring in the top one-third of the population, stanines 7-9, have a good ability to scan quickly and accurately. This ability transcends to other areas enabling those scoring in this range to handle numerical tasks quickly and accurately. Seldom will their work require checking, unless they are under a great deal of pressure which might cause them to make careless mistakes.

A high score on both Mental Acuity and Numerical Perception indicates an excellent ability to unify sensations and perceptions into meaningful composites, a process called closure. Individuals possessing this ability input and process data more expediently allowing them to put concepts and situations into the proper perspective. High scorers in both dimensions also deal quickly with mathematical calculations.

An individual's score on this aptitude may have a great deal of influence or no bearing at all on the individual's suitability for a particular position. If an individual's score in Numerical Perception has little effect on his or her potential success in a particular position, then it should be given little weight in the hiring decision. On the other hand, it is imperative that an executive or accountant score at a high level. Thus, it is necessary to keep in mind the job description when giving consideration to this dimension. In addition, it is important to note that individuals who have an uncorrected vision loss, dyslexia or other visual handicaps will have difficulty with the Numerical Perception segment, and the subsequent scores should be considered accordingly.

MECHANICAL INTEREST

The Mechanical Interest measurement is designed to quickly identify whether the individual being evaluated has interest in mechanical devices, apparatus, etc. It should be stressed that this is not a mechanical aptitude measurement but rather an evaluation of whether the respondent has a sufficient level of interest to put forth the effort to understand mechanical devices.

Low scorers, stanine levels 1-3, are basically not interested in jobs where they must work with mechanical devices. They prefer situations where they do not have to understand how an engine operates, how a compressor works, etc.

Middle range scorers, stanine levels 4-6, represent individuals who have a moderate or average level of mechanical interest. If they must be involved with equipment, they can and will put forth the amount of effort necessary to understand what's going on.

High scorers, stanine levels 7-9, are highly interested in mechanical equipment. These people like working with equipment and prefer to be involved with mechanical devices in both their personal and vocational lives.

This aptitude will have very little or no bearing on many jobs. A careful evaluation of the job description should determine whether or not this aptitude should even be reviewed and compared to the job in question. Certain positions have no need for high levels of mechanical interest. For jobs of this nature, this aptitude measurement can simply be disregarded.

MENTAL APTITUDE SUMMARY

Basically, the interpreter of an Achiever report should review the "X" patterns of a person in comparison to the requirements of the job and ask such questions as: Will this person function effectively and handle the job competently? Is this individual sharp enough to handle large amounts of complex data? Is the candidate expressive and/or numerically oriented? Will the individual be overly qualified and quickly become bored with the job? Does he or she require a continuous mental challenge? In other words, a lower score pattern is desirable for positions which mainly consist of repetitive, routine tasks, and high score patterns are preferable for jobs which require problem-solving, an ability to learn new information quickly and ones which are continually mentally challenging.

In addition, Mental Acuity, Business Terms, Memory Recall and Vocabulary all have a very high degree of intercorrelation. This implies that, for the most part, when an individual scores in the high range in one of these Aptitudes, he or she will normally have similar scores on the others, and vice versa. From this premise we can generalize that an individual who scores high on Mental Acuity but comparatively low on Business Terms, Memory Recall and Vocabulary is not striving to perform to his or her maximum potential. Conversely, an individual who scores in the lower range on Mental Acuity, but whose Vocabulary and Memory Recall scores are high is making a determined effort to improve.

Additionally, Numerical Perception and Mechanical Interest must be carefully compared to the job description. Many positions require no perceptive ability whatsoever. Likewise, a person's score in Mechanical Interest should be carefully considered relative to the job requirements. Many positions do not require any interest in mechanical devices while engineers, technicians and equipment salespeople should have a higher level of mechanical interest.

In summary, when considering the Mental Aptitudes, one must consider the entire score range on each aptitude compared to the requirements of the job.

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