Preparing for the Aptitude Test

​The Overview

• The Test Battery consists of two tests:

  • Algebra and Functions

  • Reading Comprehension

• The Test will take approximately two and a half hours to complete.

• You will receive notification of your scheduled test AND results via e-mail.

• A qualifying score for an interview is a '4'.

• If you obtain a qualifying score on the test battery, you will be scheduled for an oral interview.

• If you do not meet the qualifying score, you must wait three (3) months before you may retake the test.

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​The Test

• Algebra and Functions consists of 33 questions and you are allowed 46 minutes to complete.

• Reading Comprehension consists of 36 questions and you are allowed 51 minutes to complete.

• You will take a short break between the Algebra and Functions Test and the Reading Comprehension Test.

 

Reminders for Applicants

• For optimal test performance, get a good night’s rest and eat a nutritious meal prior to taking the tests

• Report to the test center early. It is a good idea to arrive at the test center at least 15 minutes before the scheduled testing time.

• On your scheduled test day, remember to bring a photo ID with you to the testing center. Your ID will be checked before you will be allowed to take the tests. No ID, No Test, No Exceptions!

• Do not bring a calculator. If you bring a watch with a built- in calculator, you will be asked to remove it during the test session.

• Plan on spending approximately 3 hours at the test center on your scheduled test day.

• Be sure to make arrangements for childcare ahead of time. Children will not be allowed at the test center.

• Do not attempt to retake the test battery for three (3) months after your last test date. If you retest before the three (3) month period has elapsed, your score will not be valid and you will not be allowed to retest for another three (3) months. Please take this warning seriously. This is YOUR responsibility.

Make arrangements with the JATC before you report for testing if you will need special accommodations during the testing procedure.

A Note to Those With Disabilites
We recognize and comply with our obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act to not discriminate against qualified persons with disabilities. If you are a person with a physical or mental impairment (including learning disabilities) that you believe may affect your ability to complete any aspect of the application process (including testing), and if you need an accommodation to ensure that the test battery accurately measures your skills and abilities, you must notify the Chattanooga JATC before, or as soon as you are scheduled to take the NJATC aptitude test battery.

Accommodation requests given on the test day CANNOT be addressed that day. In most cases, you will need to provide:

• Documentation of your disability, and

• Documentation of the need for a particular accommodation.
   

Sample Questions For Algebra and Functions
​​This is a test of your ability to solve problems using algebra.
 

1. Consider the following formula:
   A = B + 3 (4 - C)
   If B equals 5 and C equals 2, what is the Value of A?
   
   ​A. 7
   B. 11
   C. 12
   D. 17
    

2. Consider the following formula:
   y = 3 ( x + 5 ) ( x - 2 )
   Which of the following formulas is equivalent to this one?
   
   A. y=3x2+9x-30
   B. y=x2+3x-lO
   C. y=3x2+3x-lO
   D. y=3x2+3x-30
    

3. Consider the following pattern of numbers:
   110, 112, 107, 109, 104
   What is the next number in the pattern?
   
   A.97
   B. 99
   C. 106
   D.109
    

4. Consider the following formula:
   a = 1/2 b - 4
   Which of the following statements is true for this formula?
   
   A. When the value of b is less than 8, a is negative.
   B. When the value of b is greater than 8, a is negative.
   C. When the value of b is less than 8, a is positive.
   D. When the value of b is greater than 4, a is positive.
    

5. Consider the following table:
        X       Y
        0      -5
        1      -4
        2      -3
        3      -2
        4      -1
        5       0
        6       1
   Which of the following choices represents the same relationship as demonstrated in this table?

A.
     X           Y
     10      -40
     20      -30
     30      -20
     40      -10

B. Y = x/2 - 5

C. Y is equivalent to the difference between the value of X and a constant C, where C equals 5.

D. 

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Sample Questions for Reading Comprehension

This test measures your ability to obtain information from written passages. You will be presented with a passage followed by a number of questions about it. A sample passage is shown below, followed by three sample questions. This passage is shorter than those on the actual test.
 

Passage
The timing of New Year’s Day has changed with customs and calendars. The Mayan civilization, on what is now called the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, celebrated the New Year on one of the two days when the noonday sun is directly overhead. In the equatorial regions of the earth, between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, the sun is in this position twice a year, once on its passage southward, and once on its passage northward. At the early Mayan city of Izapa in the southern Yucatan, the overhead date for the sun on its southward passage was August 13. The Mayans celebrated this as the date for the beginning of the New Year. Later at the more northerly Mayan site at Edzna, the corresponding overhead date is July 26. Analyses of Mayan pictorial calendars indicate that they celebrated the New Year on August 13 prior to 150 AD, and on July 26 after that year. This change has been explained by archaeological dating showing that 150 AD was the time that the Mayans moved the hub of their civilization from the southern to the northern site.

6. According to the passage, the sun at Edzna was directly overhead at noon on:
     A. July 26 only
     B. August 13 only
     C. July 26 and one other date
     D. August 13 and one other date

7. If the Mayans had moved their civilization’s center south of Izapa, their new date for celebration of the New Year would probably have been closest to which of the following dates?
     A. January 1
     B. February 20
     C. March 25
     D. September 15

8. Based on the information in the passage, which of the following statements is true?
     A. Mayans made Edzna the capital because it was more temperate than Izapa.
     B. All Mayans moved to Edzna in 150 AD.
     C. Mayans used calendars to mark the passage of time.
     D. The Mayan city of Izapa was destroyed in 150 AD.

 

 

 

SAMPLE TEST ANSWER KEY
Algebra and Functions
1. B
2. A
3. C
4. A
5. C
Reading Comprehension
6. C
7. D
8. C

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