About the Differential Aptitude Tests (DAT)
By the late 1940s, US high schools were facing a growing vocational-guidance challenge. The post-war economy was rapidly diversifying, and counselors needed tools to help students identify careers matching their specific cognitive strengths. Single-score IQ tests like the Stanford-Binet did not provide the multi-aptitude profile needed.
George Bennett (Psychological Corporation), Harold Seashore (son of Carl Seashore who built the music aptitude test), and Alexander Wesman developed the Differential Aptitude Tests (DAT) to fill this gap. The 1947 DAT had eight subtests: Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Ability, Abstract Reasoning, Clerical Speed and Accuracy, Mechanical Reasoning, Space Relations, Spelling, and Language Usage. Each could be administered independently or as a complete battery.
The DAT became the most-used US vocational guidance battery from the late 1940s through the 1970s. It was particularly valuable because the Verbal Reasoning + Numerical Ability composite was empirically as predictive of college success as the SAT, while the Mechanical Reasoning and Space Relations subtests added vocationally-relevant information that the SAT did not provide. The DAT went through revisions in 1963, 1972, 1980, 1990, and 2007 (DAT-5, current). It remains in use through Pearson Assessment, though it has been partially displaced by the modern Career Assessment Inventory and other instruments.
The 8 subtests
Source
All test materials and historical content on this page are transcribed from:
DAT items remain under Pearson Assessment copyright. We document the battery's history and significance.
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