Why does DISCOVER use ability self-estimates to aid career exploration?
Occupations differ on a wide range of abilities. Thus, a comprehensive search for occupations requires a comprehensive assessment of abilities. The DISCOVER Inventory of Work-Relevant Abilities (IWRA) assesses 15 abilities. Because ability/aptitude test batteries typically assess only six to nine abilities (despite the time and expense involved), important work-relevant abilities are usually missed for example, sales, leadership, organization, and manual dexterity. What about the validity of ability self-estimates? ACT has conducted five large-scale studies comparing IWRA’s validity for career exploration to those of test batteries. Each study found that IWRA’s self-estimates of abilities improved upon the validity of test-estimates of abilities (test scores). Why do IWRA’s ability self-estimates do so well? First, IWRA addresses a wide range of work-relevant abilities. Second, IWRA abilities are broadly defined in everyday terms. In contrast, abilities assessed by other tests are ofte
