Career planning is an important aspect for professionals and school-going students. Understanding the various mental attributes and abilities helps to invest the energy into the best student career path. For these insights, there are many ways to calculate and understand what could work in favor of a student’s educational journey. With increasing exposure and acceptance of psychology, there are many ways to test the child’s intelligence and personality to guide them for their future career path. But more than that it’s more important to understand which assessment tool is the most reliable.
“At the end of the day, the most crucial key to a child’s success is the positive parental involvement in career.” Being a parent is tough especially when it comes to helping their child with career guidance, because their involvement includes a lot of confusion due to the overwhelming knowledge in the surroundings. Hence, as a parent, it’s necessary to understand the authenticity and reliability of these tests. Moreover, as a student, it is their responsibility too to check what exactly they are opting for to brighten up their future.
DMIT- DERMATOGLYPHICS MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE TESTS
Introduction :
DMIT test is based on fingerprint patterns and ridges which help to understand a person’s potential, abilities, and personality type. It helps to know your innate potential and areas of improvement by identifying your fingerprint. It benefits all age groups and helps to understand and get insight into a child’s natural strengths and possible areas for development.
Limitations :
While DMIT provides intriguing possibilities yet there are a few drawbacks and limitations, thus needing an approach to finding its balanced perspective. The question of its authenticity is more as fingerprints start forming in the embryo from the 13th week and get completely formed by the 24th week. Brain lobes can be analyzed depending on the formation and amount of ridge present in the fingerprints.
- Lacks the validity of population: Through this test, an association is created between fingerprint patterns and brain lobes but as mentioned by Galton the chance of 2 people having the exact same fingerprint is one in 64 billion. Hence it brings us to question the validity and reliability of the test.
- Limitation for individuals with limb differences: As DMIT applies fingerprint analysis, it becomes a problem for people born without limbs. They can’t have fingerprints but yet can have a bright future and intelligence. Testing in such conditions is a bit difficult so calls for other modes of evaluation. E.g. Sheetal Devi Paralympic silver medalist is successful in her field but is born without limbs.
- A combination of abilities these days is a trend needed for new upcoming career options, eg. Industrial design is a career option that needs engineering and art subjects.
- Like a Palmistry: The DMIT Test is like an Indian version of Palmistry which is like reading the lines for predicting the future. But the future also depends on one’s own experience and adjustment in the changing world.
- It is too early for the child to proceed: Once parents get to know about child intelligence there is always pressure on the child to perform better in that particular field even if the child might show interest in some other field. Hence it becomes too early for a child to proceed or get to know the field of interest.
- Knowing the background of the client is necessary: The report only tells about intelligence but not much about what career option or aptitude the child possesses or which career path to follow. It gives only a broader aspect of intelligence eg. The index finger is for the frontal lobe part of the brain which reflects on thinking and imagination quality, but not about their particular aptitude or career. Hence need counseling sessions later to get a clear picture.
- Effects of the environment as we grow are not taken into consideration: With aging comes maturity and with passing time comes new opportunities. The famous saying,” You’re the average of five people you spend the most time with” also plays an important role in shaping the student's career path which might mold us to choose a different career from what we desired to be in childhood. Hence, the result of DMIT lacks compliance with the changing environment.
MIND MAPPING
Introduction :
This test is a brainstorming or brain-dumping tool which helps in reflecting and organizing one’s thoughts, and goals in a structured way and getting ideas down on paper. These ideas further connect information to a central topic like “career goals” and branch out various aspects connected to it. This is not only restricted to reflecting on the academic aspect but other personal topics too to get representation.
Limitations :
- Over complexity, due to a web of thoughts that become difficult to interpret and organize, is a particular branch of the central career goal.
- The test is static in nature and does not well adapt to changing environments and personal circumstances which can make the process cumbersome when updated.
- It lacks in providing details for actionable plans which require another sheet or tool to prepare a timeline for action plans.
- Due to its subjectivity its effectiveness depends on individual perspective and thus can lead to gaps or biases in the planning process.
- It requires proper skill and practice, otherwise it might take time to develop a mind map that can genuinely aid career planning.
- Mind mapping is useful for reflecting on personal aspects and planning but cannot be used as a substitute for professional career advice.
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PSYCHOMETRIC TEST FOR CAREER COUNSELLING
Introduction :
This test is a scientifically designed personality assessment tool that also measures skills, aptitude and interest based on which existing qualities are reflected in choosing the right career. It helps navigate the career options present and explore upcoming new careers based on unbiased final reports.
Reliability comparatives with DMIT and mind mapping
All 3 tests have their own pros and cons serving their own purpose and different needs, yet psychometric tests are more reliable as compared to the other two.
- The reliability of the DMIT test is questioned as results are not consistent among the large no of population and also depends on the varying method and interpretation used. Due to limited empirical evidence on the correlation between fingerprints, personality, and cognitive traits, there is a question of its scientific basis.
- Mind mapping is more of a brainstorming tool which is also used in organizing thoughts rather than an assessment tool. The purpose is to help in creativity, problem-solving, and organizing information but not measure psychological traits and abilities. The test answer depends on the user’s skill and application.
- Reliability of psychometric tests is more inclined towards consistency in results with time and used in academic, clinical, and employment areas to assess characteristics such as intelligence, aptitude, and personality.
For personalized support, effective career guidance and counseling for students can make all the difference in choosing the right path for a fulfilling career.
CONCLUSION:
To conclude, DMIT test lacks strong scientific validation and reliability as compared to the psychometric test whereas mind mapping is not for psychological assessment. Hence psychometric tests are more reliable assessments of psychological traits and are generally the more established and scientifically supported choice compared to DMIT and Mind mapping.
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