The JobBank Descriptive Guide for the
SALES APTITUDE TEST

The Sales Aptitude Test was developed to assess behavioural and personality characteristics which have been shown to be important to success in sales occupations. As such, it is used for purposes of personnel selection and placement for sales and sales management positions. The assessment is an 86-item test which measures an individual’s sales aptitude. Of these items, 68 are multiple-choice self-report items and 18 are adjective descriptive items.

The Sales Aptitude Test utilizes items related to seven personal attributes. These are:

Achievement Motivation - the internalisation of high standards for performance and the preference for working on challenging or difficult tasks. Individuals who are highly motivated to achieve are ambitious and strive to accomplish something important. They are often highly competitive, and they place a priority on winning.

Ego-Strength - resilience to criticism, rejection or failure. Individuals with high ego strength have a strong sense of self-worth and like themselves for who they are. These persons are able to maintain a positive attitude in the face of failure or rejection.

Energy - behaviours which are characterised by vigour, intensity and endurance. People with high energy level are able to sustain high levels for long periods of time.

Enterprise - the preference for adventurous activities and willingness to take risks that will pay off in a materialistic sense. Enterprising people enjoy working in a competitive business environment.

Persuasiveness - the need to verbally express oneself with the intent of influencing the behaviours or decisions of others.

Self-Confidence - the willingness to take action based on the belief that effort will produce desired outcomes. Individuals with a high level of self-confidence approach tasks with the belief that their abilities and drive are all well matched to the task.

Sociability - the preference for interacting with people during work and recreation. Highly sociable people gain satisfaction from relationships; they are friendly, outgoing, articulate and socially at ease.

Based on the above traits, sales aptitude is characterised by a tough-minded social confidence, a competitive ambition, a need to persuade and influence others and a high level of energy and industry.

Scores
The Sales Aptitude Test produces a single score which has been shown to predict successful sales performance in a variety of industries. This Raw Score or Total Score is converted to Percentiles for interpretation. This conversion allows comparison of an individual’s test scores against those of others within the same normative group. As such, a Percentile Score indicates the relative standing of a person in a similar group of people. For example, if the respondent receives a Raw Score that translates to 82%, this means that this person had a higher score than 82% of the people who have previously taken the Sales Aptitude Test.

Administration
The Sales Aptitude Test is essentially self-administered and facilitates individual and group administration.

Most persons will complete the assessment within 20 - 30 minutes.

A spreadsheet comparing the scores of all the candidates assessed is also provided.