THE VOCATIONAL VALUE OF TESTS 177 
and practice in stenographic work, and in order to discover 
this, the dictation and transcribing tests are given. If 
these tests show that the candidate possesses the requisite 
education or acquired ability, it may be advisable to 
engage her. However, in order to know still more accu 
rately her real value, it is desirable to give her tests 
calculated to gauge her innate or natural ability. The 
number-letter substitution test and the alphabetical-filing 
test are generally given for this purpose and are tests 
of speed and accuracy of a kind usually involved in sten 
ographic work. The topical filing and hard-directions 
tests are tests to measure the individual’s reasoning or 
analytical ability. If the candidate does well in all of the 
tests, she is quite valuable, for being well trained and 
possessing natural ability, she is likely to develop into a 
v ery capable worker. 
Now, let us suppose that the candidate shows by her 
performance in the tests for acquired ability that she has 
had a very poor training in dictation and transcribing. 
Shall she be engaged or not? If, in addition to her poor 
training in these respects, she also shows lack of education 
ln spelling, grammar, and the fundamentals of the com 
mon-school education, it would probably be unwise to 
e ngage her for stenographic work. And, if in addition to 
her poor education, she displays a lack of innate ability by 
her performance in the group of tests given for this pur 
pose, the decision would be quite obvious. On the other 
hand, if the applicant has natural ability, a good common- 
s ehool education, and is lacking only in ability to take 
fetation and transcribe, it is very advisable to engage her 
for a trial, or for special training in the fields in which she 
Is Weak. Her inability in dictation and transcribing may 
ho due to poor training or to poor opportunities, and may