Which term describes a test designed to determine a person's ability in a particular skill or field of knowledge?

• A. Achievement
• B. SDS
• C. SVII
• D. Aptitude

Answer: (D)

Think about what the test is trying to measure: potential to perform a skill or succeed in a field after some training. That focus on future ability, rather than what someone already knows, is what defines an aptitude test. It aims to predict how well someone might develop or perform in a particular area, such as mechanical tasks, verbal reasoning, or musical ability.

This differs from an achievement test, which looks at what a person has already learned or mastered. The other options aren’t about predicting future ability in a skill: some measure interests or personality, guiding career choices rather than gauging capacity to perform, and the remaining term isn’t a standard measure of potential ability.

So the term that describes a test designed to determine a person’s ability in a particular skill or field of knowledge is aptitude.