Aptitudes are your natural talents and abilities for learning and developing skills. Your course of study in college and the future careers you’re most likely to enjoy and find success in will be those that use your specific aptitudes.

"An individual’s aptitudes are a primary factor in identifying the types of skills one can expect to learn most quickly and easily. This in turn is a predictor of the types of tasks that an individual is likely to enjoy. So an individual who understands their own aptitude profile can be more confident that their time and energy is invested in education that is going to offer the greatest rewards. Aptitude assessment is viewed as central to education and career planning for two primary reasons: First, because there are significant and important differences in aptitude requirements across jobs, identifying careers that match your aptitudes increases your chance for long-term satisfaction and success on the job. Second, an individual’s aptitude profile remains stable over time. For this reason, learning about your profile in high school or college provides an enduring and practical source of information for making career choices across time." —careervision.org

The investment in this type of assessment can be one of the best things you do before heading to college. It can ultimately save you time, money, and frustration by not taking classes that don’t end up applying to a major you finally decide on after changing three times. Or worse, a career you’ve spent four (or more!) years studying and training for in which you end up miserable.

Accurate aptitude assessment really helps start you off right in beginning college feeling confident that you know who you are and what gifts and abilities you have. It helps you understand the best academic path that can lead to future fulfilling and satisfying careers that fit how you are uniquely made.

After careful consideration, College Ready has endorsed three such assessment centers: