Pobalscoil Neasáin

Differential Aptitude tests will take place for TY students on Monday 19th October and Tuesday 20th October

The schedule is as follows:

• 4A and half of 4B will be tested on Monday
• 4U and the rest of 4B on Tuesday

Students should be in school at the usual 8:50 start and those taking the test must ensure that they have pencils, erasers and pencil sharpeners.

Normal classes will take place for those not testing and full attendance is expected.

The Differential Aptitude Tests (DATs) are designed for use in educational and vocational guidance and are used by school counsellors, personnel officers, psychologists and all persons concerned with assessing the intellectual characteristics and educational or vocational aptitudes of adolescents. This battery of tests has been adapted for use in Irish schools.

The rationale behind the Differential Aptitude Tests is that since different kinds of abilities are useful in different jobs and in different school subjects, a battery giving measures of several abilities is likely to be more useful than a test giving a single general ability score. There are eight subtests: Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Ability, Abstract Reasoning, Space Relations, Mechanical Reasoning, Clerical Speed and Accuracy, Spelling, and Language Usage.

Scores can be used to produce a profile showing a pupil's strengths and weaknesses. A combined Verbal Reasoning and Numerical Ability score can be used as an index of scholastic ability.