<p>According to the United States Armed Forces, it is possible. They do something similar to what you propose with the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armed_Services_Vocational_Aptitude_Battery" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery</a>. However, according to the section "Test Validity" of the linked Wikipedia article, there is some debate about whether it only measures literacy or IQ.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-12-21T02:42:37.187Z
2016-12-21T02:42:37.187Z
Seanny123
<p>A lot of time and money has been invested in finding a good way to measure one's natural "aptitude" at mental tasks, and as far as I'm aware nothing has yet come close to IQ. At least not in terms of predicting an individual's ability to perform mentally challenging tasks, to learn information quickly, etc. </p>

<p>If you have an IQ of 80, you aren't going to be able to thrive in a job role that requires rapid problem solving, abstract thinking, complex pattern recognition, and multitasking. That's not saying you can't be extremely successful at something else, but IQ is a good predictor of "occupational aptitude" in many areas. </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-04-23T13:47:37.253Z
I would say there are a number of issues with the now widely held view that IQ = job performance. One critique is here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10888691.2014.983635
Nick H
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-04-23T14:39:26.457Z
Welcome to psych.SE and thank you for the answer.  However, on this site, it is important that answers be properly referenced and cited where needed so that others can review their veracity.  As it stands, this answer is just a personal opinion, and is not suitable for this site.
Arnon Weinberg
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-04-23T11:09:43.080Z
2019-04-23T11:09:43.080Z
Bryant_Adam
<p>It seems individuals are able to adjust their cognitive aptitude to some degree through nurture, which is controlled by various elements such as environment and conditioning. However, they're stuck with their nature - heredity. Is it possible to measure and compare one's capacities to occupational cognitive demands?</p>

<social-psychology><learning><test><nature-nurture><neuropsychology>
Is there a way to test brain activity/aptitude on a measurable scale in order to identify a suitable occupational aptitude?
user289394
# Is there a way to test brain activity/aptitude on a measurable scale in order to identify a suitable occupational aptitude?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-12-16)

It seems individuals are able to adjust their cognitive aptitude to some degree through nurture, which is controlled by various elements such as environment and conditioning. However, they're stuck with their nature - heredity. Is it possible to measure and compare one's capacities to occupational cognitive demands?

**Tags:** social-psychology, learning, test, nature-nurture, neuropsychology


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2016-12-21. Score: 3

According to the United States Armed Forces, it is possible. They do something similar to what you propose with the [Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armed_Services_Vocational_Aptitude_Battery). However, according to the section "Test Validity" of the linked Wikipedia article, there is some debate about whether it only measures literacy or IQ.


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### Answer by username_2 on 2019-04-23. Score: 0

A lot of time and money has been invested in finding a good way to measure one's natural "aptitude" at mental tasks, and as far as I'm aware nothing has yet come close to IQ. At least not in terms of predicting an individual's ability to perform mentally challenging tasks, to learn information quickly, etc.

If you have an IQ of 80, you aren't going to be able to thrive in a job role that requires rapid problem solving, abstract thinking, complex pattern recognition, and multitasking. That's not saying you can't be extremely successful at something else, but IQ is a good predictor of "occupational aptitude" in many areas.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: I would say there are a number of issues with the now widely held view that IQ = job performance. One critique is here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10888691.2014.983635  
> **username_4**: Welcome to psych.SE and thank you for the answer.  However, on this site, it is important that answers be properly referenced and cited where needed so that others can review their veracity.  As it stands, this answer is just a personal opinion, and is not suitable for this site.  

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