SIG PACTH_CB

Score Interpretation Guide

PACT

Philippine Aptitude Classification Test

Contents
1 Purpose of the Test 1

2 Description of the Test 1

2.1 Brief Description of Test Administration 1 3 Interpretation of Test Results 2 3.1 3.2 3.3 Scores and Quality Indices 2 Reporting the Scores 2 Levels of Interpretation 3 3.3.1 Individual or Examinee Level 3 3.3.2 Group or Institutional Level 4

References 5 Appendix A: PACT Subtests and Aptitudes Measured 6 Appendix B: List of Educational Programs and Sample Courses 7 Appendix C: Sample Examinee Report 8 Appendix D: Sample Masterlist of Test Results 9
Appendix E: Sample Institutional Performance Profile 11

PHILIPPINE APTITUDE CLASSIFICATION TEST

SCORE INTERPRETATION GUIDE
Test Development Division

1. Purpose of the Test

The Philippine Aptitude Classification Test, or PACT, was developed in response to the need for a comprehensive system of identifying specific abilities of high school students for the purpose of educational and vocational guidance. It attempts to predict an examinees probable performance in various courses of study. The PACT assumes that different kinds of aptitudes or abilities are important in college or vocational work. It measures a number of dimensions that have been found to be useful in the classification of students into different fields of study. It provides a profile of aptitudes for several educational programs in order to assist students in the choice of their careers. The PACT may be administered to students in second year high school up to first year college. However, it is most appropriate for third year high school students. Most students at this level have reached aptitude maturity (Dohm, 1980). Furthermore, the period between the test administration and the students graduation from high school provides guidance counselors ample time for individual interpretation of test scores and proper vocational counseling of each student.

various items composing the battery measure a range of aptitudes deemed relevant to selected college and vocational courses. Appendix A lists the PACT subtests and the corresponding aptitudes they measure. None of the subtests are curriculum-bound. There are verbal and numeric items but their dependence on particular subjects in school is very minimal. The English and Filipino verbal items involve words that are common in high school and not specific to any particular subject. The numeric items require simple arithmetic operations.

2.1 Brief Description of Test Administration

The test can be administered to an individual or to a group of examinees. Each examinee is provided with a test booklet and a separate machine-readable answer sheet. Examinees mark their answers on the separate answer sheet by shading the circle that corresponds to the letter of their choice. They are required to accomplish the parts of the test within the time limit presented in Table 1.

Table 1 Number of Items and Time Allotment of the PACT

Parts of the Test Number of Items 30 210 Time Allotment 4 minutes 1 hour & 45 minutes

2. Description of the Test

The PACT is a paper-and-pencil test battery made up of eighteen (18) subtests grouped into two parts. Part I consists of speed tests and Part II consists of power tests. Speed tests are designed to measure individual differences based on speed of performance, that is, the number of items an individual can answer in a given time. Power tests, on the other hand, are designed to measure level of performance based on the number of items that an individual can answer given ample time (Linn & Gronlund, 2000; Anastasi & Urbina, 1997). All subtests contain multiple-choice items. There is only one correct answer for each item. The

Part I Part II

In order to ensure uniformity in testing procedures and validity of test results, a test administration manual was prepared to guide the examiners. The manual contains the general guidelines for the examiner, the materials needed for administration, the sample answer sheet, the timing of the test, and the general and specific directions to be followed by the examinees during the test. The examiner is required to carefully follow the standardized procedures for test administration.

3. Interpretation of Test Results 3.1 Scores and Quality Indices

The PACT yields scores on eight aptitude factors. It also yields quality indices (QIs) on nine educational programs. The eight aptitude factors include Perceptual Speed, Verbal English, General Reasoning, Flexibility of Closure, Verbal Filipino, Spatial Closure, Visualization, and Perceptual Acuity. Scores on these eight aptitude factors are reported as standard scores (SSs). The SS equivalents are from a common scale with a range of 200 to 800, a mean of 500, and a standard deviation of 100. SSs from 400 to 600 indicate average ability. The eight aptitude scores are not judged as passing or failing, but rather as high or low with respect to the performance of the norm group. The norm group is made up of third year high school students. The QIs on the nine educational programs are based on the scores of the examinee on the eight aptitude factors. The QI is a qualitative description of the combined scores of the examinee on the aptitude factors where the norm group from the educational program scored high. The norm group is made up of graduating college students who are successful and satisfied in their course. Thus, the QI indicates the examinees possible performance in a course belonging to the educational program. The meanings of the QIs are as follows: VL L A H VH Very Low Low Average High Very High

3.2 Reporting the Scores

Test scores are reported in three ways: (1) the Examinee Report (ER), (2) the Masterlist of Test Results (MTR), and (3) the Institutional Performance Profile (IPP). The Examinee Report contains the test results of an examinee. It is composed of two tables. The first table shows the description of the eight aptitude factors coded A01 to A08, with the examinees scores reported as SSs depicted by a bar graph. The second table reports the QIs of the examinee on the nine educational programs coded E01 to E09. A sample ER is presented in Appendix C. The Masterlist of Test Results is a listing of examinees in a particular school that took the test on the given test date. The MTR contains all the scores of each student on the eight aptitude factors and the QIs on the nine educational programs. The eight aptitude factors were coded as A01 up to A08, which refer to the same aptitude factors reported in the ER. The total number of examinees and the mean and standard deviation (SD) for each of the aptitude factors are shown at the end of the last page of each MTR. An example of the MTR is presented in Appendix D. The Institutional Performance Profile gives an assessment of the overall institutional performance of the students on the entire test. It contains two tables: (1) table of descriptive statistics and (2) distribution of examinees according to PACT QIs for each educational program. The first table shows the eight aptitude factors. The school performance is represented by the entries in the mean and SD columns. The second table depicts the frequency and percentage of examinees who obtained each of the five QIs in each educational program. It must be noted, however, that the IPP is based on the scores of examinees on the specified test date. The scores of students who took the test on other dates are not included in this report. An example of an IPP is presented in Appendix E. The schools are given hard copies of the ERs and MTR. The ERs are subsequently distributed to the students while the IPP is issued to the school upon request.

It is in educational programs where the examinee obtains QIs of A, H, or VH that he/she is predicted to have from average to very high probability of successful performance. Educational programs with QIs of L and VL are not definitely ruled out for him/her but the chances of his/her doing well in courses within these programs are low. It is more advisable for him/her to consider other courses in which his/her stronger aptitudes could be used to an advantage. See Appendix B for the list of educational programs and sample courses within each group.

3.3 Levels of Interpretation

Interpretation of test results may be done at two levels: (a) individual or examinee level, and (b) group or institutional level.

3.3.1 Individual or Examinee Level

Sample Interpretation on Individual Level Third Year High School Student (Please refer to the ER in Appendix C.)
EXAMINEE 5, a Third Year high school student from ABCD School, took the test for the purpose of career guidance. In terms of the aptitude factors, he scored highest on Visualization followed by General Reasoning, Flexibility of Closure, Verbal Filipino, Perceptual Acuity, and Spatial Closure. He scored lowest on Verbal English and Perceptual Speed. His profile of aptitudes indicates that he has good chances of succeeding in any educational program as shown by the quality indices he obtained (A to VH). It is in Services that he obtained a QI of Very High (VH), which means that it is in this program that his aptitudes could be best utilized. His course choice, which is B.S. Marine Transportation, is within Services. If he pursues this course in college, he has a very high chance of succeeding because he has the required aptitudes for his chosen course.

Other Information
The PACT results may be used more effectively when seen in the light of other information about the student, such as: 1. family background, educational, socioeconomic status, etc. 2. academic background and grades 3. physical status and abilities 4. special talents 5. interests 6. results in other tests: CEMs Philippine Occupational Interest Survey (POIS), personality, motivation, etc.

2. How is the examinees academic performance? In which subjects does he/she excel? In which is he/she poor? 3. Has the examinee taken intelligence tests or other aptitude tests? Are the results of these tests congruent with the PACT results? 4. What are his/her special skills or talents? Has he/she received any award or recognition for his/her talents? B. On Interest 1. What are the students manifest interests as shown in his/her hobbies? Does he/she enjoy activities related to the occupations he/she shows interest in? 2. Is he/she physically and mentally fit for the kind of work he/she is interested in? 3. What extracurricular activities does the student engage in? Is he/she an active member of any organization? C. General 1. What are the students life goals, needs, and values? 2. Does the student know the requirements and consequences of the kind of work he/she has

Guide Questions
The following questions may be used for the interpretation of PACT results. They may also be aids for discussion during career guidance sessions. A. On Abilities 1. In the PACT Examinee Report, in which educational programs does the examinee have ratings of VH, H, or A?

3. 4. 5. 6.

chosen? Are his/her values and traits likely to be compatible with the demands of the occupation? What is the situation in his/her family? Does he/she find psychological support regarding his/her choice of a career? Does he/she have financial problems? What sources can be tapped in order to support him/her in pursuing a career? What are the manpower needs of his/her community? Is his/her chosen course relevant to these needs? What other factors interfere with working on a realistic choice? Why and how? What can be done to overcome these difficulties?

Guide Questions 1. Does the aptitude profile of the students reflect the direction towards which their high school program is preparing them? Does the school follow the general secondary curriculum? b. Does the school direct their programs to technical and vocational instruction in the fields of agriculture, fishery, trade-technical, home industry, and non-traditional courses? c. Does the school have advanced classes in science and mathematics? 2. How does the aptitude profile of the school relate with the needs of the community, on the local, national, and global level? 3. What curricular activities does the school provide to help students further develop their aptitudes? 4. What kind of career orientation program should the school prepare to match the students aptitude profile? 5. Given the students aptitude profile, what possible schools should the guidance counselor recommend to their students to consider applying to in college? a.

3.3.2 Group or Institutional Level

The means and standard deviations of the group/school are reported at the last page of the MTR and in the table of descriptive statistics of the IPP. The mean is the average SS of a group of examinees on an aptitude factor. It shows where most of the scores of the group tend to fall. The SD, on the other hand, is an indication of the spread of a set of scores. It is computed from the differences between the individual scores and the mean score of the group. Hence, the larger the SD, the wider the spread of scores; the smaller the SD, the narrower the spread of scores. If the aptitude factor (AF) SD I 100, most of the scores are close to the mean. If the AF SD > 100, most of the scores are distant from the mean. 1. Look at the mean standard scores of the group/school on the eight aptitude factors measured by the test. Then compare the groups/schools mean SS with the norm groups mean of 500. 2. A frequency distribution of the examinees according to their QI for each of the educational programs is presented in Table B of the IPP. Students are most likely to succeed in a course where the ratings are from Average to Very High.

Sample Interpretation on Institutional Level Third Year High School (Please refer to the MTR and IPP in Appendices D and E, respectively.) A batch of 383 third year high school students from ABCD School took the PACT to guide them to which educational program their aptitudes can be used to an advantage. The MTR shows the test results of the Third Year High School students of ABCD School. Printed at the last page of the list of examinees are the mean SS and the SD of the examinees in the whole school in the eight aptitude factors measured by the test. This information is also shown in the first table of the IPP labeled Table of Descriptive Statistics. Given the norm groups mean of 500 and the standard deviation of 100, the mean scores of this group of students in all aptitude factors are Average with Verbal Filipino being the highest and Perceptual Acuity as the lowest. In addition, the scores of the students in all aptitude factors are close to the mean except in Visualization and Perceptual Acuity where the SD exceeded 100. Given the mean of 485 and SD of 123, the students scores in Perceptual Acuity are widely distributed. Majority of their scores range from 362 to 608, that is 485 123. The second table depicts the distribution of examinees by QIs across the educational programs. Majority of the students show Very High (VH) chance of succeeding in Agriculture, which includes courses like Veterinary Medicine, Forestry, Husbandry, and Agriculture. It is in Humanities and Arts where majority of the students appear to have High (H) chance of succeeding. This group of students may take courses like Fine Arts, Architecture, Mass Communication, and Comparative Literature. Furthermore, an Average (A) chance of succeeding in educational programs like Social Sciences, Business and Law, Engineering, and Trades and Craft can be expected from majority of the students. In order to see which educational program(s) each student has from average to very high chance of succeeding, refer to the MTR.

References
Anastasi, A. & Urbina, S. (1997). Psychological testing. (7th ed.). Singapore: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Dohm, T. E. (1980). The development of the Philippine Aptitude Classification Test. Unpublished manuscript. Linn, R. & Gronlund, N. (2000). Measurement and assessment in teaching (8th Edition). New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Test Development Division. (1991). Philippine Aptitude Classification Test and Philippine Occupational Interest Survey score interpretation guide. Makati City, Philippines: Center for Educational Measurement, Inc.

Appendix A PACT Subtests and Aptitudes Measured

Subtest Aptitude Measured
Speed in finding figures, making comparisons, and carrying out very simple tasks involving visual perception The ability to understand the English language The ability to solve a broad range of reasoning problems including those of a mathematical kind

Matching Letters/Numbers Form Matching Vocabulary Analogies Numeric Number Series Figural Reasoning Paper Form Board Hidden Figure Talasalitaan Mga Salitang Magkaugnay Hidden Blocks 1 Hidden Blocks 2

Perceptual Speed

Verbal English General Reasoning

Flexibility of Closure

The ability to keep one or more definite configurations in mind so as to make identification in spite of perceptual distractions
The ability to understand the Filipino language The ability to perceive the totality of regularly shaped objects (cubes) in a stack based on what is frontally seen in a drawing The ability to manipulate or transform the image of a spatial pattern into another visual arrangement The ability to visually perceive or detect: (a) the pattern of change in a series of geometric figures and (b) the differences in written information such as names and addresses

Verbal Filipino

Spatial Closure

Patterns Mechanical Motion Assembly

Visualization

Figure Series Proofreading

Perceptual Acuity

Appendix B List of Educational Programs and Sample Courses

Educational Program SERVICES Description Includes courses on hotel and catering, travel and tourism, seamanship and other transport services, environmental conservation, and protection of property and persons Includes courses on agriculture, forestry, and fishery in areas of research, data analysis, and management in large-scale enterprises, as well as veterinary medicine Includes courses on religion and theology, languages and literature, fine arts, performing arts, graphic and audio-visual arts, and design Includes courses on political science, sociology, anthropology, psychology, geography, economics, as well as journalism and information, business and administration, and law Includes courses on teacher training for preschool, kindergarten, elementary, secondary, vocational, adult education, and for handicapped children, as well as education science on areas of assessment, measurement, and research Includes courses on engineering, manufacturing and processing as well as architecture and building Includes non-degree programs dealing with mechanical repair trades involving the assembly, fitting, repair, and maintenance of all types of machineries Includes courses on medicine, nursing, midwifery, medical technology, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, as well as physical and occupational therapy Includes courses on natural and biological sciences such as general biology, zoology, botany, chemistry, physics, geological sciences, astronomy, meteorology and oceanography, as well as mathematics and statistics and computer sciences Sample Courses Criminology Culinary Arts Marine Transportation Hotel & Restaurant Management Veterinary Medicine Agriculture Forestry Philosophy Fine Arts Psychology Library Science Accountancy Business/Office Administration Elementary Education Secondary Education Possible Occupations Police Inspector Cook/Chef Seafarer Veterinarian Agriculturist Philosopher Cartoonist Psychologist Librarian Accountant Sales and Marketing Managers Elementary Teacher High School Teacher

AGRICULTURE

HUMANITIES AND ARTS SOCIAL SCIENCES, BUSINESS, AND LAW EDUCATION

ENGINEERING

TRADES AND CRAFT HEALTH AND WELFARE

Mechanical Engineering Electrical Engineering Civil Engineering Refrigeration Automotive Mechanic Mechanical Technology Nursing Medicine Dentistry Pharmacy Computer Science Biology Chemistry Physics

Mechanical Engineer Electrical Engineer Civil Engineer Refrigerator Mechanic Motor Vehicle Mechanic Technician Nurse Physician Dentist Pharmacist Computer Programmer Biologist Chemist Physicist

SCIENCE

Appendix C Sample Examinee Report

Appendix D Sample Masterlist of Test Results

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Appendix E Sample Institutional Performance Profi

Copyright 2007 by the Center for Educational Measurement, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this score interpretation guide may be reproduced by any means, nor translated into a machine language without the written permission of the Center for Educational Measurement, Inc