The 15 Best Aptitude Tests to Evaluate Your Job Skills

Evaluate your job skills with some of the best aptitude tests around, including both free and paid assessments.

Reviewed by Chris Leitch

Best Aptitude Tests

Aptitude tests aren’t just useful for experienced professionals hunting for their dream job or looking for a career change. They can be helpful to individuals of all ages, as young as high school students who are wondering what majors to pick.

While career quizzes explore your values and work style, aptitude tests provide a more objective evaluation of your skills, helping you select a career you’re most likely to succeed in. An added bonus of familiarizing yourself with aptitude tests is that it can help you better prepare for interviews, as many companies now include similar skills tests in the interview process.

Below, you can read about some of the best aptitude tests out there, and decide which one suits your needs and budget best.

1. CareerHunter

Estimated time: 10–30 minutes per assessment

Price: $15,99 - $79.99

Trustpilot score: 4.3

Of course, we must mention our own scientifically validated career test first. CareerHunter is one of the most comprehensive career tests currently available, comprising six individual assessments. Thanks to a combination of analytical techniques, the assessments focus not only on your interests and personality, but also on vital work skills.

Once you’ve completed all six assessments (including those for abstract, numerical and verbal reasoning), CareerHunter will match you against 250+ career options. At the end, you can download a personalized report of job recommendations, suitable coursework and an evaluation of your test results.

See CareerHunter in action:

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2. The MAPP Career Assessment

Estimated time: 22 minutes

Price: $89.95 to $149.95

Trustpilot score: 3.3

This short, 71-question career assessment test requires you to rank three statements on how closely they apply to you, from most to least. You’ll receive immediate results for free, but more extensive information and career-matching can be accessed for a fee.

While at first glance it appears to be an interests test, the questions are carefully chosen to assess your aptitude in reasoning, data interpretation, mathematical skills and language capacity. The MAPP Career Assessment has been widely tested by experts for its reliability, and users report being impressed by the accuracy of the insights in their final report.

3. CliftonStrengths

Estimated time: 45 minutes

Price: $19.99 to $49.99

Trustpilot score: 3.2

The CliftonStrengths program was created based on research around leadership. The research in question pointed to common strengths among successful leaders, like strategic thinking, adaptability and communication. CliftonStrengths will reveal your natural talents in these areas and offer guidance on how to enhance them.

To complete the test, you must answer around 150 questions, each within 20 seconds. Allen Cheung, a software engineering manager and tech blogger, notes that CliftonStrengths is more valuable than your average career test because it includes “questions which aren’t binary and aren’t as easily gamed”.

4. Red Bull Wingfinder

Estimated time: 35 minutes

Price: Free

Trustpilot score: 3.7

The energy drink company has taken their slogan “Red Bull gives you wings” and applied it to an intensive career aptitude test. Developed by psychology experts from University College London and Columbia University, the four-part Wingfinder test has timed segments and right-and-wrong answers that assess your thinking under pressure. Questions include image sorting, logic puzzles and leadership-scenario questions.

Once you complete the test, you’ll receive a nine-page report and career coaching tailored to your results, including videos from professional athletes and entrepreneurs whose skills match yours.

5. SEI Development Report

Estimated time: 60 minutes

Price: $195.00

Trustpilot score: Not rated

Communication, organization and problem-solving are all important skills to have for success in your career. However, emotional intelligence in the workplace is just as valuable. A high emotional quotient, or EQ, means you’re able to guide your own thinking and behavior, and also influence others.

The SEI Development Report is an extensive EQ aptitude test that measures eight fundamentals, including emotional literacy, emotional management and empathy. At the end, you’ll receive a 20-page report with development suggestions, as well as a 30-minute debrief by phone or Skype.

6. Johnson O’Connor Aptitude Testing

Estimated time: 7 hours

Price: $750 to $850 (in-person testing)

Trustpilot score: Not rated

If you’re truly confused about what degree to pursue in university or how to pick a meaningful job path, consider spending money on a more intensive aptitude test. The Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation has developed classroom testing to find the “talents you’re born with”.

This model doesn’t evaluate your schooling or interests, as these can change over time. Instead, it provides measurable data about how your mind works and your innate abilities. Many sections are conducted one-on-one with a trained specialist and include hands-on puzzles and audio quizzes.

7. HackerRank Standardized Assessments

Estimated time: 60–90 minutes

Price: Free

Trustpilot score: 3.4

As you kick off your job search in the computer science field, it’s useful to find out where your true programming skills lie. HackerRank provides a one-stop shop for aptitude testing, skills enhancement and finding your dream job.

The HackerRank testing dashboard has sections to practise algorithms, Python, functional programming, databases, and more. You can then take standardized skills tests and, once you pass, your résumé will be highlighted to companies recruiting for those skillsets through HackerRank.

8. JobTestPrep SHL Practice Test

Estimated time: Varies by test

Price: $79

Trustpilot score: 4.2

Hiring managers often use aptitude tests to find the best applicants, and SHL is one of the most widely used ones. The official testing site offers some free practice testing, but it’s less intense than the real thing, plus there’s no feedback on your answers. Businesses often keep SHL test results on file, so you’ll need to put your best effort in the first time.

If you want your résumé to end up on the top of the pile at your chosen company, consider prepping with the JobTestPrep SHL Practice Test. They continually update their range of questions and offer a money-back guarantee if their prep work doesn’t match up to the real SHL test. The paid package provides one week’s access to over 30 full SHL test simulations, including numerical, deductive, inductive and verbal reasoning tests.

9. Corporate Finance Institute Aptitude Assessments

Estimated time: 20–30 minutes per test

Price: Free

Trustpilot score: 4.9

The Corporate Finance Institute provides continuing education and certification courses for financial analysts. Their goal is to help job candidates bridge the knowledge gap between schooling and real-world application.

CFI offers four aptitude tests  to assess your knowledge and expertise in accounting, finance, Excel and financial modeling. Each assessment, comprising 20 questions, can help you gauge your level and whether you need further training. They also serve as practice for potential interview questions you may be asked for a variety of finance jobs.

An 80% passing grade will allow you to skip the related pre-certification courses from CFI.

10. National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence Practice Tests

Estimated time: Unlimited

Price: $14.95 per test (bulk pricing available)

Trustpilot score: Not rated

If you’re choosing an automotive career, one of the best ways to land better pay and more challenging roles is through the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. The organization offers certification for technicians on all types of vehicles, as well as certification for service consultants.

ASE certifications are a respected measure of competence around engines, electrical systems, alternate fuels, and more. Therefore, they’re also a desirable addition to your résumé for roles in design, engineering, body work and management.

The ASE’s certification tests are lengthy and complicated, and can take multiple attempts to pass. Their official practice tests are half the length of the real thing, and provide performance reports with feedback.

11. AssessmentDay Critical Thinking Appraisal

Estimated time: 30 minutes per section

Price: Free ($19.00 upgrade also available)

Trustpilot score: 3.5

Companies can’t afford to leave it up to chance when it comes to complex, demanding tasks that require extreme levels of accuracy.

If your career interests are around the legal, medical or scientific industries, there’s a good chance you’ll be asked to complete a critical thinking skills test. AssessmentDay offers a full practice test, and shorter segments on particular topics like assumptions and interpretations. You can take an online simulation, or download the questions and answers for study.

The free tests can help you assess your critical thinking skills and prepare you for similar tests during the hiring process. One-year access to additional tests, timed simulations and solutions is available for a one-time fee.

12. 123test Verbal Reasoning Test

Estimated time: 22 minutes per test

Price: $18.99

Trustpilot score: 4.7

You may have thought that reading comprehension tests were behind you once you left school, but no such luck. Any skills test you might receive during the hiring process can include syllogism, which is a form of deductive argument. Employers want to know if you can absorb information and draw the right conclusions.

If you want to test yourself, 123test has one of the best prep programs available. A one-time payment gives you 90 days of online access to 30 verbal reasoning tests. Created by professional test designers, the assessments are timed to mimic the real-life experience you’ll have when testing for your dream job.

13. Psychology Today Visual–Spatial Intelligence Test

Estimated time: 20–30 minutes

Price: Free ($6.95 upgrade also available)

Trustpilot score: 2.0

It’s no surprise that engineers and architects need the skills to visualize and mentally manipulate 3D objects from multiple angles. Spatial intelligence is also useful in other jobs, however, like firefighters who must move safely through a building while potentially blinded by smoke.

Psychology Today has developed a quick quiz to assess your spatial IQ, including visual acuity, perceptual abilities and abstract reasoning. The 10-question test has multiple-choice responses to a variety of visual puzzles.

14. Truity Career Aptitude and Personality Tests

Estimated time: 10–15 minutes per test

Price: Free ($29.00 upgrade also available)

Trustpilot score: 3.2

Truity’s free aptitude and personality tests provide deep insights using the Holland Codes and Big Five systems. Informed by decades of scientific research, these tests will assess your skills and career personality, and provide personalized advice for a successful job search.

Besides matching you to careers that best suit you, these series of questions can also help you decide on a college major, which is helpful for students who are on the fence about what to study. Each of your career matches will be accompanied by a description, yearly earnings, projected growth, types of work environment and educational requirements.

15. CareerOneStop Skills Assessment

Estimated time: 10 minutes

Price: Free

Trustpilot score: Not rated

While it only takes a few minutes to complete, the CareerOneStop Skills Assessment will help you rank both your technical and soft skills, and then match you to the kind of work that’s relevant to your skillset. The career suggestions at the end can be sorted by relevance, annual wages, educational requirements, and job outlook.

The CareerOneStop Skills Assessment also features a “matcher” section that ranks your skills and knowledge, starting from the skills you rated highest. These include soft skills like memorization, instructing and negotiation, as well as technical skills like programming and science.

Final thoughts

One of the downsides of career aptitude testing for a job interview is that candidates may experience extreme test anxiety. One way to combat this is to plan ahead and to get a lot of practice in with similar tests.

Which career aptitude tests have you taken? Join the discussion below and share your experiences with us!

Originally published on March 28, 2017. Contains contributions by Valerie David.