What is an "Aptitude"?

Many people think of an aptitude as something someone is good at. According to the business dictionary, aptitude is defined as, “Acquired or natural ability (usually measurable with aptitude tests), for learning and proficiency in a specific area or discipline. Aptitude is expressed in interest, and is reflected in current performance which is expected to improve over time with training.” If you go to Wikipedia, aptitude is defined as, “A component of a competence to do a certain kind of work at a certain level. Outstanding aptitude can be considered "talent". An aptitude may be physical or mental. Aptitude is inborn potential to do certain kinds of work whether developed or undeveloped.” We can continue to go from one source to another, but basically, aptitude is ability. The first definition is the definition I seem to come across when taking to those in academia. When I asked those in education to define ‘aptitude’ all individuals described, what I call, scholastic or skill aptitude, which is not inborn but learned. The SAT is a ‘Scholastic Aptitude Test’ measuring acquired knowledge. On the SAT, questions are asked about the knowledge the individual acquired through schooling. High Schools require Scholastic testing of many kinds to graduate.

The second definition is not the definition used in the current ‘main stream’ English language. Aptitude is “inborn potential”. A natural ability to do certain kinds of work. We all have probably known an individual that just was good at something. It might be in sports, art, or public speaking, but they just were ‘a natural’. Everyone is different and are born with different aptitudes. Wikipedia states, “Aptitude is inborn potential to do certain kinds of work whether developed or undeveloped.” Ahhhh, there is the key, first you should know what your own aptitudes are and then develop them. Just because you know what your inborn abilities are doesn’t mean you will build them up. Everyone has natural aptitudes. It is advantageous to develop these natural abilities and utilize them in work and home settings. Individuals who utilize their natural aptitudes experience less stress, have higher job satisfaction, and are more successful (work & personal life). Everyone should take the first step to vividly understand their own aptitudes.