Achievement or Potential

Most tests of reasoning, writing, logic, or analytical skills are not meant to be the sole basis for acceptance or rejection from a particular program or discipline. Tests are designed to measure aptitudes in particular areas, but they are basically considered to be predictors of success rather than a final verdict on admission. Most educational facilities look at the whole picture; they are more interested in potential than product. The HSPT (High School Placement Test) provides an example of this concept. The HSPT is designed to place students in academic programs where a high degree of success can be predicted. The HSPT is used in conjunction with other methods to evaluate potential. Certainly, eighth-grade students are not at the end stage of academic development. It is the same in other disciplines and pathways of education.

The LSAT (Law School Admission Test) doesn’t require that a student be entirely familiar with the laws of the state where the test is administered. It predicts success based on whether a student can articulate a point of view or evaluate a situation in which the evidence conflicts. The LSAT is designed to predict success in the legal field.

The CPAT, or Candidate Physical Ability Test, is a test of physical potential. A person cannot be a firefighter without the physical potential to take on various heavy tasks requiring muscular and cardiovascular endurance. The physical aptitudes required of a firefighter are mere predictors of success, not guarantees of it.

So it is in the medical fields, among others. The HOBET, or Health Occupations Basic Entrance Test, evaluates the basic skills necessary to succeed not only in college but in clinical practice afterward. A poor academic record in the past may not, in itself, be as good a predictor of success as a high score on the HOBET. Many external factors could have played a part in past academic performance. The HOBET is therefore aimed at determining whether an individual has the aptitudes that are suitable to the health occupations field.

All testing methodologies recognize that people are not born with the skills required for a profession. For this reason, past academic performance should never be the reason for abandoning a career launch. A successful test performance constitutes a strong argument of your chances for success in teaching, firefighting, law, medicine, or any other field of endeavor.

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