Kuder Vocational Preference Test

There is a moment in the life of every person in which they have to decide what they want to dedicate themselves to professionally; To do this, you must first find out what you like. Kuder's vocational preference test is a test that evaluates these aspects.

This test allows guiding students and adults who do not know exactly which sector or profession to opt for. In this article we will know the 10 scales that the test evaluates, as well as its most relevant characteristics.

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Kuder's Vocational Preferences Test: Characteristics

The Kuder Vocational Preferences Test, also called the Kuder Vocational Preference Scale, It was prepared by G. Frederick Kuder. Frederic Kuder (1903-2000) was a psychologist, Doctor of Psychology, born in Michigan.

He focused on studying, within the field of psychology, people's interests, and developed four interest inventories that were translated into different languages.

The application age of the Kuder vocational preferences test is from 15 years old. Its form of administration can be individual or collective, and the duration of its application is approximately 1 hour (although there is no time limit).

On the other hand, Kuder's vocational preference test consists of a cognitive, standardized and objective test.

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What does it evaluate?

The objective of Kuder's vocational preferences test is to know the general areas where the interests and preferences of the individual are located with respect to his professional vocation.

The test evaluates different aspects, grouped into 10 areas or fields of preferences (the 10 Kuder scales):

1. outdoor work

High scores on this scale indicate that the subject has preferences for spending time in the countryside, the sea, the forests, etc. He likes growing plants, taking care of animals... It guides us to a job like gardening, for example.

These types of subjects would not feel comfortable in a factory, laboratory or office, for example.

2. mechanical interest

High scores here indicate interest or preference for working with machines and tools, as well as to build or fix mechanical objects, electrical devices, furniture, etc.

3. interest in calculus

Typical of people who like to work with numbers. Engineers, mathematicians, etc. belong here.

4. scientific interest

Typical of people who like to investigate facts or things, discover their causes and solve different types of problems. They are scientifically curious. We relate it to professions such as biology, pharmacy, physics, chemistry, etc.

5. persuasive interest

This area is representative of those subjects who they want to deal with people, impose their point of view, persuade, sell a product or service, etc. Typical of commercials, for example.

6. Artistic-plastic interest

People score high on this scale with a taste for manual labor, where combinations of colors, materials, shapes and designs can be used. That is, jobs that require some creativity.

7. literary interest

This scale is typical of the person who they feel pleasure from reading and/or expressing their ideas orally or in writing. For example editors or writers.

8. musical interest

Typical of people with a marked taste for playing musical instruments; they usually like to dance, sing, read about music, study the life of famous composers, attend concerts, etc.

9. Interest in social service

High scores on this scale indicate a interest in serving and accompanying others. It appears, for example, in future doctors, psychologists, social workers, etc.

10. Interest in office work

The last scale of the Kuder Vocational Preferences Test refers to people who like a type of desk job, who requires accuracy and precision.

verification scale

In addition, the test has a Verification Scale (V) that allows for carelessness, mistake, and choice of improbable responses to be recorded. Your results will indicate whether the test can be considered valid, doubtful, or invalid.

The Test Manual provides an extensive list of occupations grouped by major area of ​​interest or by pairs of areas; It is an "a priori" list, depending on the logical or content analysis.

Fields of application

The fields or contexts where the Kuder vocational preferences test is administered are the school environment, to find out the professional interests of the students, and the field of human resources (HR), with the same purpose as the previous one, as well as to know the motivation of the applicants for the different job positions.

Bibliographic references:

• Cohen, R.J., Swerdlik, M.E. (2002) Psychological Testing and Assessment. McGraw-Hill. Madrid.
• TEA editions. KUDER-C. Record of Vocational Preferences (a).
• Trejo, A. (2018). Kuder vocational preference test. Psychological Cognition