FAQ

WHAT MAKES YOUSCIENCE DIFFERENT?

YouScience’s patent pending algorithm combines aptitudes, interests, and 21st century careers to make the highest quality career and educational recommendations. Previously, this was only available through professional counselors costing thousands of dollars. We use 5-to-8 minute performance based exercises for each aptitude to capture true areas of highest potential. Our assessment does not rely on self-reported user data, which can be ‘gamed’ or manipulated. We show exactly where your personal abilities are best aligned with over 500 career options, and it’s all in one online experience.

 

SOUNDS GREAT, BUT WHO DID IT AND WHY CAN I RELY ON IT?

The team at YouScience partnered with leading firms, foundations, and government sources from around the country to ensure that we use the best science and data sources available. For our aptitude science, we partnered with the Ball Foundation in Chicago, Illinois. The Ball Foundation, founded in 1975, is one of the premier developers of aptitude-based career products in the country. HumRRO, the non-profit Human Resource Research Organization based in Alexandria, VA, assisted YouScience in developing the career-matching algorithms. The YouScience team then developed the new methods for making aptitude assessments and recommendations available online, and created YouScience.

 

WHAT IS THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE RESULTS?

YouScience’s assessment is built upon over 90 years of research by institutions and foundations across the globe. Now available in an online format, the assessment offers a reliable and valid measurement of natural abilities or “aptitudes” that align with satisfaction in school and at work.

 

WHAT ARE APTITUDES?

Everyone is made up of a combination of innate qualities, or aptitudes. Think of it as your hard-wired potential. Some people call these “talents” or “strengths”. It is important to understand that these abilities are distinct from interests, personality and skills, all of which can change over time. Because aptitudes are stable in nature, they can serve as a reliable navigational tool throughout a lifetime of decisions. Understanding your aptitudes arms you with special knowledge to better confront an ever-changing set of circumstances and challenges. For instance, do you often see relationships between seemingly unrelated information? Do you make plans in your head or do you need pen and paper to see things clearly? Do you think literally, or translate information into images to conceptualize problems? In a team environment, will you add the most value as a specialist with specific skills or as a generalist who can manage the big picture? All of these questions and many more can be answered when you are offered a real evaluation of your innate abilities. While pursuits for which you do not possess a strong set of aptitudes are still achievable (motivation and effort can often overcome misalignments), understanding your natural abilities is a blueprint for maximizing your opportunities for satisfaction and success.

  

WHAT APTITUDES ARE ASSESSED?

We assess the aptitudes considered most important to making informed long-term career and educational decisions. Many of these aptitudes describe how you think or solve problems, such as inductive reasoning, sequential reasoning, numerical calculations and idea generation. Other aptitudes describe your leadership and team approaches, such as generalist/specialist and timeframe orientation. Taken collectively, these aptitudes paint a helpful picture of your areas of highest potential and satisfaction.

 

MY SON OR DAUGHTER IS A HIGH ACHIEVER. HOW COULD THIS BENEFIT THEM?

Surprisingly, many young adults who are high performers have the toughest time deciding which direction to pursue. They have a tyranny of choices! YouScience gives talented young adults real information and a framework for exploring college and career options.

 

IS THIS ONLY ABOUT CAREERS?

Aptitudes are influential in many aspects of your life – at work, at school, and even in your relationships. We address all of this in a comprehensive and substantive online experience and printable report.

 

ARE THESE THE SAME ASSESSMENTS AS THE FREE ONES AT SCHOOL OR ONLINE?

Nope. Most online assessments, and those given in school programs, are based on self-reported personality or interest surveys. Our aptitude assessments use real ability exercises that cannot be studied for or gamed. The results provide reliable information about your areas of highest potential.

 

WILL THIS “PIGEON HOLE” MY SON OR DAUGHTER INTO A CAREER TOO EARLY?

Quite the opposite. YouScience is a tool to foster educational and career exploration. It blends personal aptitude and interest data with over 2,300 major-to-career matches to present a broad array of options and recommendations. It is a jumping off point rather than a prescriptive answer.

 

DO I HAVE TO STUDY FOR IT?

No. Aptitudes are natural abilities. These are not knowledge or skill assessments. Get a good nights rest and go for it!

 

WHAT ABOUT INTERESTS? AREN’T THEY IMPORTANT?

As part of the assessment, we include an interest survey. This is used to understand the individual’s current understanding and thinking about his or her future. Because interests vary over time, and change with an expanding scope of experience, they serve as only a piece of the puzzle. YouScience’s patent pending algorithm uniquely combines aptitudes and interests to make career recommendations.

 

HOW ARE APTITUDES DIFFERENT FROM INTERESTS, INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENTS, PERSONALITY TRAITS AND SKILLS?

Aptitudes are not Interests Surveys

You may be very interested in being an orthodontist, but lack spatial thinking abilities, which could limit your ability to do it with ease as a career. Conversely, you may have the natural abilities to pursue a career as an aeronautical engineer but have absolutely no interest in that type of work. Interests can be helpful, but are highly dependent upon your current worldview. For this reason, interests surveys are a very limited tool for making long-term career plans.

Aptitudes are not Intelligence Tests

Two individuals who score the same on the SAT or an intelligence test usually score differently on an aptitude assessment. A standardized test score does not provide insight to specific abilities or the ability requirements of any given career.

Aptitudes are not the same as Personality

Personality inventories are useful for improving personal performance in a group setting, but should be viewed as a small piece of the puzzle rather than a key to unlock real information and guidance for career and educational decisions. And like interests, they rely on self-reported information and are easily “gamed”.

Aptitudes are not Skills

Skills are developed from practice in an activity. But the ease and speed at which we can master a skill is related to our aptitudes. If you know your aptitudes, you can select skills to learn that leverage your strengths, allowing learning and mastery to come more easily.

 

WHAT IF MY CHILD HAS A LEARNING DIFFERENCE?

Our aptitude assessments require some motor skills, good vision and intense focus for each 5-to-8 minute assessment. If a student can perform standard high school work, most likely he or she will find the assessment useful. If your son or daughter has a learning difference that may prevent this level of work, they should consider seeing a career or college counselor who specializes in working with children with learning differences. Please give us a call if you would like to discuss your individual situation.

 

DO I HAVE TO GO TO A TESTING CENTER OR SCHOOL TO TAKE THE ASSESSMENT?

No. YouScience is available entirely online, and accessible anywhere you can access an internet-connected computer without any distractions.

 

IS THIS A REPLACEMENT FOR COLLEGE COUNSELING?

This is not a replacement for college counseling. By helping students understand themselves and set a basic direction, the YouScience Profile creates a basis for an informed and effective educational decision making. Students, their parents, and counselors can leverage the information in the YouScience Profile to more effectively create their path towards a career, whether it’s pursuing a post-secondary degree or other options such as technical training.

 

IS THIS CAREER COUNSELING?

The aptitude and interest assessments combined with the career and education information will give you a great foundation for discovery and decision making. However, they cannot replace the personalization and the specialized skills of a qualified career counselor. If you choose to engage a career counselor, your profile results are an excellent place to start.

 

WHAT IF MY CHILD UNDERPERFORMS? IS THIS A “DREAM KILLER”?

There is no such thing as “underperforming” on our assessments. Our results are consistently affirmative and designed to always position all options. We offer real information to enable a person to achieve their goals whatever the advantages or obstacles.

 

DOES THE ASSESSMENT WORK FOR ADULTS?

Absolutely. Whether you are considering a career change, reentering the workforce, working with teams, starting a business, selecting avocations, volunteer activities or just need the confidence that you are headed in the right direction, your profile results can help provide real information and the confidence to move forward.

 

WHO WILL SEE THESE RESULTS?

This information is completely private and shared at the user’s discretion with parents, counselors, or other collaborators. Schools and counselors that purchase the YouScience profile for students or clients automatically have access to the results.

 

MORE QUESTIONS? CALL US TODAY: (844) YOUSCIENCE

Please give us a call toll free at (844) YOUSCIENCE. We will be glad to answer any additional questions you may have.