Differential Aptitude Tests (DAT)
(Fifth Edition-Form C)

The Differential Aptitude Tests (DAT) battery reflects research and theories that consider intelligence to consist of many abilities which different individuals have in varying amounts. A student may have excellent verbal facility yet lack numerical or mechanical aptitude. A test containing items measuring several of these aptitudes but yielding only a total score obscures much of a student's true potential.

The DAT measures aptitudes for many different educational and vocational areas through multiple tests. It provides meaningful scores that informed counselors and teachers can interpret easily.

• Verbal Reasoning (VR) measures how well students see relationships among words. Important predictor of success in academic subjects.
• Numerical Reasoning (NR) measures how well students perform mathematical reasoning tasks. Important for mathematics and science courses.
• Abstract Reasoning (AR) measures how well students can reason when problems are shown in terms of size or shape or position or quantity or other geometric figures and shapes. Important measure of student's aptitude to reason that does not depend on verbal fluency or clues.
• Perceptual Speed and Accuracy (PS&A) measures how quickly and accurately students can compare and mark written lists. Important in all types of office occupations requiring paper work or record checking.
• Mechanical Reasoning (MR) measures student's ability to understand mechanical principles and devices. Important for engineering and machine operation courses.
• Space Relations (SP) measures how well students think in three dimensions and visualize or form mental pictures of solid objects from looking at flat paper plans. Important for drafting, architecture, designing.
• Spelling measures how well students recognize correctly or incorrectly spelled common English words. Important for English, writing, and business courses.
• Language Usage measures ability to detect errors in grammar, punctuation, and capitalization. Important for education, law, journalism, and management courses.
• Verbal+Numerical Total (VR+NR) combines separate verbal and numerical ability scores. It is a good measure of academic ability and how well students will do at completing college preparatory courses and succeeding in a college or university.

Notes:

1. Use of separate sex norms in interest measurement and with tests such as DAT is in accord with both federal and state guidelines. The publishers believe the use of combined sex norms actually works to increase advice that appears to perpetuate sex stereotypes rather than decrease them. Minnesota Statewide Testing Program (MSTP) has adopted the following policy:
   National percentile ranks are based upon separate sex norms, and each student receives percentile rank scores based on norms for both sexes and combined sexes. Students can, therefore, compare their test performance with that of students of the same, opposite, and with both sexes combined. Local percentile rank scores are based on combined sex norms.
2. 
   

   Grade	Level
   7-9	1
   10-12	2



3. Summary statistics report provides graphs and statistics separately by sex.