Online aptitude testing
Research has shown very strong links between the ability to make strategic decisions in business and the ability to deal with abstract concepts, logic and to reason verbally.
Suggested ways to measure
Combination Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal WGCTA and Rust Alpha Numerical Reasoning Appraisal RANRA
WGCTA is a test of crystallised ability (verbal reasoning). There are five subsets; drawing inferences from facts; recognising assumptions implicit in statements; drawing deductions from facts; interpretations of statements; and evaluation of arguments.
While the ability to be able to recognise and evaluate problems is closely associated with intelligence, mental ability is not enough on its own. Critical thinking capability is a discrete skill distinct from, but not independent of, overall intelligence and it can be measured. Critical thinking can also be improved as a result of training, although the extent to which it can be improved will differ between individuals. This variability makes it even more important to test for critical thinking within organisations that invest in continuous development for their managers.
The marked difference between intelligence and critical thinking is the mental facility to develop analytical reasoning skills to evaluate alternative viewpoints and persuasively argued opinions. To remain objective in the heat of the battle yet remain sensitive to all of the available information sets great leaders apart.
RANRA has been developed as a companion tool to Watson-Glaser specifically to assess the higher level numerical skills required of managers today. Used either in combination with Watson-Glaser or on its own, the test assesses an individuals capacity for deduction, interpretation and evaluation. It is not a computational maths test, but a sophisticated and highly developed assessment of internalised mathematical knowledge combined with real life problem solving. The test measures various aspects of numerical reasoning that together give a whole picture of the candidate’s higher cognitive facilities. In broad terms, RANRA investigates the candidate’s ability to compare quantities while understanding and judging the sufficiency of information available. At the last analysis, numerical reasoning is more than simple ability. It can be developed through education and it can be learned which means your best people could be even better.
Differentiated Aptitude Test (DAT)
Widely used in the USA, DAT measures a number of aptitudes, at a lower level of complexity.
It looks at three types of reasoning to help in that assessment: Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning and Abstract Reasoning, with a useful fourth dimension of Educational Aptitude by analysing a combination of Verbal and Numerical Reasoning