The programme is useful for secondary school pupils who do not yet have a clear
professional option by offering them a series of suggestions, and for those who already
have an option, by verify whether this is consistent with their profile or it is merely an
unrealistic idea. For instance, in case of a student declaring his intention to enrol to the
Polytechnic University but who has no idea about the faculties in the university and their
specialization, the compilation of an interest profile exploiting the occupations
recommended, corroborated with adequate information on faculties with the counsellor’s
help will offer the necessary information to express a more realistic and better-informed
option.
BTPAC – (Psychological Tests Battery for Cognitive Aptitudes). The soft version of this
battery is available online (Internet), and offline on a CD. The programme presents 23
tests, four of these requiring an operator. BTPAC tests are sampled for people aged
between 12 and 50. The soft version of BTPAC allows the computerized comparison of
the employee’s aptitudes with those necessary in the desired profession according to the
requirements in (The Classification of Occupations in Romania). For a list of tests and
their description see the article “Cognitive Aptitude Psychological Test Battery ”.
For the tests administration the following are necessary: BTPAC handbook, a computer
with the minimal technical features: Hardware Pentium I 166 MHz, memory 32 MB
RAM, SVGA with a resolution of 800x600 pixels, sound, mouse, and for the online
administration an Internet connection; Software : Windows 95, Internet Explorer 4.0 or
Opera 6.0. After installing the program from a CD (75 Mb) the options are presented:
Create, Update, Print, Compare, Search and Copy profile , Update samples,
Documentation, and Quit.
For the soft administration, the counsellor will take the steps below:
- making sure beforehand that the subject is familiar with a computer, rested,
the atmosphere quiet and stimulating; - making sure the hardware and software requirements are met and the data
displayed on the screen is correct (age being automatically computed from
the date of birth, knowing that profiles specific to biological age); - assisting clients in creating a profile using their real identification data;
- deciding on the testing version to be administered (long or short);
- presenting the subject the functions of the three buttons for the soft version;
- administrating the test respecting the instructions specified in the handbook
without giving feedback throughout the testing; - comparing the individual profile obtained (automatically) with the occupation
profile; - interpreting the profile and communicating the results to the examinee.