FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHY IS THIS A BREAKTHROUGH RESOURCE?

Together, Your Hidden Genius and the YouScience assessment reveal a complete picture of one's innate talents, interests, and personality traits, including a personalized list of best fit paths to explore.

Millions of adults have already discovered the power and permanence of aptitudes and this book provides concrete advice on how to use and apply within and beyond professional application, in all areas of readers’ lives and relationships.

Ready? Redeem your code from Your Hidden Genius here and get started with your assessment.

IS THIS A PERSONALITY TEST? HOW IS THIS DIFFERENT?

No.

The YouScience assessment and deeper explanation in Your Hidden Genius guide readers to discover their innate talents and steers them toward the appropriate careers based on their results. Their aptitudes are analyzed and subsequently matched to specific careers in order to leverage their full potential in order to live meaningful lives and achieve career wellness.

I KNOW MY ENNEAGRAM AND MEYERS-BRIGGS TYPES. WHY DO I NEED THIS TOO?

The methodology behind the YouScience assessment and in Your Hidden Genius unlocks different information for readers than is available in other personality type methods. The YouScience assessment measures one’s aptitudes and interests and presents practical advice and resources for what to do with the findings.

WHAT MAKES THE YOUSCIENCE ASSESSMENT 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.

5-to-8 minute performance based exercises are used for each aptitude to capture true areas of highest potential. The assessment does not rely on self-reported user data, which can be “gamed” or manipulated.

The YouScience assessment shows exactly where your personal abilities are best aligned with over 500 career options and is available in an all-in-one online experience. Redeem your code from Your Hidden Genius here and get started with your assessment.

WHO IS THIS ASSESSMENT FOR? WHY DO I NEED IT?

The book and assessment are perfect for adults looking to make changes to their careers (at every stage), adults just beginning their professional journeys, adults looking to increase their overall satisfaction and happiness, and for everyone looking to understand themselves in a deeper way.

WHAT IS THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE RESULTS?

The YouScience assessment is built upon over 90 years of research by institutions and foundations across the globe. To develop the revolutionary aptitude science, The Ball Foundation and HumRRO were primary partners. 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 in developing the career-matching algorithms.

These newly developed methods for making aptitude assessments are now available in an online format and explained in the accessible book format of Your Hidden Genius. The assessment and book offer a reliable, valid, accessible 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.

WHICH APTITUDES ARE ASSESSED?

The aptitudes considered most important to making informed long-term career and educational decisions are prioritized.

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.

HOW COULD THIS BENEFIT HIGH-ACHIEVING ADULTS?

Surprisingly, many adults who are high performers have the toughest time deciding which direction to pursue. They have a tyranny of choices!

Your Hidden Genius and the YouScience assessment give talented adults, typically those looking for a career change, real information, in-depth aptitude and career context, and a framework for exploring career options to live a meaningful life.

IS THIS ONLY ABOUT CAREERS?

Aptitudes are influential in many aspects of your life – at work, at school, and even in your relationships. Your Hidden Genius and your personalized YouScience assessment report provide a comprehensive and substantive direction for all areas of your life.

DO I HAVE TO STUDY FOR THE ASSESSMENT?

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

Ready? Redeem your code from Your Hidden Genius here and get started with your assessment.

WHAT ABOUT INTERESTS? AREN’T THEY IMPORTANT, TOO?

An interest survey is included in the YouScience assessment. This is used to understand the individual’s current understanding and thinking about their future. Because interests vary over time, and change with an expanding scope of experience, they serve as only a piece of the puzzle.

The patent pending algorithm of this assessment 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.

WHERE DO I TAKE THE ASSESSMENT?

The YouScience assessment is available entirely online, and accessible anywhere you can access an internet-connected computer without any distractions. You can redeem your code from Your Hidden Genius here and get started with your assessment.

IS THIS CAREER COUNSELING? CAN I USE THIS AS A HIRING TOOL?

We don't recommend using the assessment as a hiring tool as this is meant for an individual's use for decisions regarding their personal career and journey.

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.

CAN I USE THIS FOR STUDENTS?

Yes! YouScience has been used by more than 7 million high schools. You can access their resources here.