The acronym MAPP stands for Motivational Appraisal of Personal Potential. The MAPP career assessment is used as a guide to finding a career that fits with your interests. Motivation is the key to deciding on a career choice. If you are considering a career change, just entering the career field, interested in what your career options are, taking the MAPP career assessment can provide you with at least five choices.

Features

The MAPP consists of 71 questions designed to offer information regarding temperament, vocational interests, aptitude, and preferences in learning style. There are three answers to select from--you select the one you like the most and the least. The length of time to take the MAPP is approximately 20 minutes. Career and psychological assessments are designed to help narrow areas of concern, improvement, skills, and strengths. The MAPP assessment, like other career assessments, is linked to a database of career options.

Function

High school graduates can take the MAPP prior to deciding on a college or employment. Those seeking to find a more fulfilling career may find a few to choose from. The function of a career assessment is to answer important questions regarding your skills and interests. The questions are written as multiple choice. An employer will find using the MAPP helpful in profiling job openings and matching employees. A career coach may wish to provide clients with a MAPP assessment to provide points of discussion, including areas for improvement, educational needs, and enhancing current skills.

Reliability and Validity

MAPP has passed three of the standard testing measures for validity and reliability, the Reliability Study, the Construct Validity Study and the Strong. The three studies offer a valid measure of motivation and career matching. However, it is ultimately up to the individual to decide which career is of interest and if the motivation as reported by the MAPP is valid.

Cost

The MAPP career assessment is free to take, however, there is a fee for receiving the full report. Before you take the assessment you will need to register at Assessment.com. The sites offering the assessment link directly back to Assessment.com. These sites do not charge you to take the assessment. The cost for the full report ranges from $20 to $130 as of June 2010 and is paid to Assessment.com.

Considerations

Assessment.com offers a free sample report upon completing the assessment. A sample full report is also offered free of charge. This is an option to consider prior to taking the assessment and spending money on the report. Michael Robinson at CareerPlanner.com says that the report seems to be written more for an employer or human resources department than for the test taker. Robinson also does not suggest it for young students since it seems a bit technical and wordy.