Differential Aptitude Tests® for Personnel and Career Assessment (DAT)

Measure Specific Aptitudes Related to Successful Job Performance Across All Occupations

Differential Aptitude Tests for Personnel and Career Assessment (DAT for PCA) helps you determine an applicant’s general cognitive and perceptual abilities as well as clerical and language skills. Eight subtests give you the flexibility to create the perfect assessment for management, professional and other positions in virtually any industry or occupation.

Organizations use DAT for PCA to:

• Improve the accuracy and efficiency of their hiring decisions
• Measure aptitude for success in virtually all types of industries and occupations, from corporations to nonprofits
• See a comprehensive view of a candidate's strengths and weaknesses
• Specific Subtests For: Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Ability, Abstract Reasoning, Clerical Speed and Accuracy, Mechanical Reasoning, Space Relations, Spelling, and Language Usage

Customer Testimonials

“By using Pearson’s Differential Aptitude Tests for the last ten years our failure rates have dropped because we can identify unique abilities of a candidate as they relate to a specific job’s day-to-day function. The online version with automated scoring and feedback allows for greater accuracy and reliability and assures us that we are getting the most current norms and test protocols. The tests save us time and money, as well as increase our reputation in the marketplace.”
— Jane Sarber, Moore Norman Technology Center

Subtests Help Measure Aptitude for Success

• Verbal Reasoning - is appropriate for measuring general cognitive ability and for placing employees in professional, managerial, and other positions of responsibility requiring higher order thinking skills.
• Numerical Ability - test the understanding of numerical relationships and facility in handling numerical concepts. Good prediction of success of applicants in such fields as mathematics, physics, chemistry, engineering, and in occupations such as laboratory assistant, bookkeeper, statistician, shipping clerk, carpenter, tool-making, and other professions related to the physical sciences.
• Abstract Reasoning - is a nonverbal measure of the ability to perceive relationships in abstract figure patterns. Useful in selection when the job requires perception of relationships among things rather than among words or numbers, such as mathematics, computer programming, drafting, and automobile repair.
• Clerical Speed and Accuracy (Paper Administration Only)- measures the speed of response in a simple perceptual task. This is important for jobs such as filing and coding, and for jobs involving technical and scientific data.
• Mechanical Reasoning - closely parallels the Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test and measures the ability to understand basic mechanical principles of machinery, tools, and motion. It is useful in selection decisions about applicants for jobs such as carpenter, mechanic, maintenance worker, and assembler.
• Space Relations - measures the ability to visualize a three dimensional object from a two dimensional pattern, and how this object would look if rotated in space. This ability is important in fields such as drafting, clothing design, architecture, art, die making, decorating, carpentry, and dentistry.
• Spelling (Paper Administration Only) - measures an applicant's ability to spell common English words, a basic skill necessary for success in a wide range of jobs including business, journalism, proofreading, advertising, or any occupation involving written language.
• Language Usage - measures the ability to detect errors in grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. When Language Usage and Spelling are both administered, they provide a good estimate of the ability to distinguish correct from incorrect English usage, which is important in business communication.

• Use this flexible tool to identify candidates for hiring, training, and career development.
• Gives clear indications of a candidate's strengths and weaknesses.