Differential Aptitude Test

The Differential Aptitude Test (DAT), first published in 1947 by The Psychological Corporation, is a battery of tests whose goal is to assess multiple separate aptitudes of students and adults. The latest (fifth) version of the DAT, published in 1990, assesses verbal and numerical reasoning, mechanical reasoning, perceptual ability, spatial relations, abstract reasoning, spelling, and language usage. Separate scoring norms are available for individual tests in the battery. The DAT is available in two levels: Level 1 of the DAT was designed for students in Grades 7 to 9 and adults who have completed these grades, and Level 2 was designed for students in Grades 10 to 12 and adults who have completed more than 9 years of schooling, but have not graduated from high school. The tests were designed primarily for educational and career counseling of students in Grades 7 to 12, but can also be used to assess abilities of less educated adults. The test also includes a Career Interest Inventory that can be used in conjunction with the aptitude tests, and a shortened version called the Differential Aptitude Tests for Personnel and Career Assessment (DAT for PCA) is packaged as a selection tool. The total time to administer the complete version of the DAT is slightly under 4 hours. The readability of the tests was assessed by The Psychological Corporation, and all vocabulary used in directions and content is at the fifth-grade reading level. The Psychological Corporation conducted a careful study of the tryout form of the test to make sure there was no racial test bias in items or scoring. Scoring of the test can be done by hand or computer, and there is a computerized version of the test.

The following separate tests are included:

Career Interest Inventory (30 minutes): Students indicate their level of interest in performing activities related to work and school.

Verbal Reasoning (40 items, 25 minutes): Items include analogies.

Numerical Reasoning (40 items, 30 minutes): Items include addition, subtraction, numeric sequences, fractions, multiplication, division, computing percentages, and basic algebra.

Abstract Reasoning (40 items, 20 minutes): Items assess logic, pattern or rule recognition, attention to detail, and abstract reasoning skills.

Perceptual Speed and Accuracy (2 parts, 100 items each part, 3 minutes each part): Test takers are asked to choose the letter/number combinations that are the same as the underlined combinations.

Mechanical Reasoning (60 items, 25 minutes): Test takers are presented with a picture of some mechanical principle and presented with a question.

Space Relations (50 items, 25 minutes): Items assess perceptual abilities, attention to detail, pattern recognition, and spatial relationships.

Spelling (40 items, 10 minutes): Test takers must determine which word is spelled incorrectly.

Language Usage (40 items, 15 minutes): Items include sentences with errors of grammar, capitalization, or punctuation that test takers are asked to identify.