aptitude test

American  

noun

1. any of various tests given to measure abilities, as manual dexterity, visual acuity, reasoning, or verbal comprehension, and used to assist in the selection of a career.

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aptitude test British  

noun

1. a test designed to assess a person's ability to do a particular type of work

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Etymology

Origin of aptitude test

First recorded in 1920–25

Compare meaning

How does aptitude-test compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• achievement test vs. aptitude test

Example Sentences

After failing an aptitude test with tech company IBM as a young man in Hackney, east London, he started selling car aerials from a van, and later transistor radios.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2025

Mr. Andes joined the Army with a college degree and top scores on the military aptitude test.

From New York Times • May 2, 2024

She told me that she once took an aptitude test that suggested she become either a mechanic or a missionary.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2022

Larelle Washington’s family had hired a tutor to help him study for an aptitude test used to match enlistees to jobs in the military.

From Washington Post • Dec. 8, 2021

I could tell him I’ve been worried for weeks about what the aptitude test will tell me—Abnegation, Candor, Erudite, Amity, or Dauntless?

From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth