Navigating the path of career exploration can begin earlier than many might think, and middle school is a pivotal time to introduce students to the vast world of career possibilities. Career assessment tools serve as invaluable resources in this journey, helping young students identify their interests, aptitudes, and values, and aligning them with potential career paths. These tools not only broaden horizons but also empower students to make informed decisions about their future education and career trajectories.
This article compiles a list of recommended career assessment tools specifically tailored for middle school students. These resources vary in format, from worksheets and inventories to online platforms, and are designed to be engaging and accessible for this age group. Each tool is briefly described, along with key details such as the target age band, reading level, estimated time to complete, and cost.
Exploring Different Career Assessment Tools
Here are some effective career assessment tools that can be utilized with middle school students:
Job Characteristics I Like Worksheet
Author: University of Colorado
Description: This worksheet is designed to help students think about different job characteristics and identify what is personally important to them in a work environment. It facilitates discussions around work experiences, job satisfaction, and personal preferences in job characteristics. It can be implemented as an individual, group, or class activity.
Age Band: Grades 7, 8, 9 & 10
Reading Level: 9th grade
Time: 90 minutes
Cost: Free
Link: Job Characteristics I Like Worksheet
Career Exploration Inventory EZ
Author: John Liptak, Ed.D.
Description: The Career Exploration Inventory EZ (CEI-EZ) is a self-assessment tool that prompts individuals to reflect on 96 activities and consider their interest in them across past, present, and future contexts. The results are linked to 16 career interest areas based on the U.S. Department of Education career clusters. For each interest area, the inventory provides information on related jobs, education and training options, and leisure activities, guiding students to focus on their primary interests for future planning.
Age Band: Middle School and High School
Reading Level: Grade 8.6
Cost: $64.95 for a package of 25 instruments (price subject to change)
Link: Career Exploration Inventory EZ
Work Readiness Inventory
Author: Robert Brady, Ed.D.
Description: The Work Readiness Inventory (WRI) is a concise self-report tool designed to assess six key aspects of work readiness: Responsibility, Flexibility, Skills, Communication, Self-View, and Health & Safety. It helps students identify their strengths and areas for improvement in terms of workplace preparedness. The self-scoring assessment includes a worksheet for enhancing work readiness and is suitable as an initial assessment or pre/post-test measure.
Age Band: High School to Adult
Cost: $61.95 for a package of 25 inventories (price subject to change)
Link: Work Readiness Inventory
My Plan Career Values Assessment
Source: MyPlan.com, LLC
Description: This Values Test focuses on understanding an individual’s underlying work needs and motivations. By ranking different aspects of work representing six core work values, students can determine what is most important to them in a job. The assessment results in scores for each of the six work value clusters and provides a ranked list of 739 occupations based on alignment with personal work values, increasing the likelihood of job satisfaction.
Age Band: Middle School and High School
Time: 12 minutes
Cost: Free
Link: My Plan Career Values Assessment
O’Net Skills Search
Author: U.S. Department of Labor
Description: O’Net Skills Search is an online tool that helps students leverage their skill sets to explore potential occupations. Students select skills from six broad groups, creating a customized skill list. The tool then compares these skills to the skills ratings of various occupations, identifying matches where the selected skills are deemed “Important,” prioritizing occupations that align with all chosen skills.
Age Band: Middle School to High School
Reading Level: 6th grade
Time: 20 minutes
Cost: Free
Link: O’Net Skills Search
VocFit
Author: Ohio State University
Description: VocFit is a data-driven tool used by transition teams to evaluate the compatibility between an individual’s abilities and preferences and the demands of a job, considering both environmental and occupational factors. It provides a reliable assessment of student abilities and internship demands, highlighting the pros and cons of job matches and pinpointing areas for goal setting and skill development. Video directions are available for user guidance.
Age Band: High School to Adult
Reading Level: 8th grade
Cost: Free
Link: VocFit
Career Clueless
Author: Champlain Valley Educational Services
Description: Career Clueless is an interest inventory that helps students find a career path by categorizing and totaling activities of interest across six categories. This process leads to the identification of a three-letter “career code” that students can use to explore related career options.
Age Band: Middle School
Cost: Free
Time: 20 minutes
Link: Career Clueless
Who R U?
Author: Virginia Career VIEW (Vital Information for Education and Work)
Description: “Who R U?” is an online career interest inventory where students check off items of interest across 16 areas and identify their top interest areas to receive a career code. This inventory is linked to the Virginia Career View website, where students can further explore career clusters and watch related videos, enhancing their career exploration experience.
Age Band: Middle School and High School
Time: 30 minutes
Link: Who R U?
O’Net Interest Profiler
Author: U.S. Department of Labor
Description: The O*NET Interest Profiler is a self-assessment tool designed to help students discover their work interests and preferences. It assists in identifying broad interest areas relevant to the student, which can then be used to explore various occupations and understand the world of work better.
Age Band: Middle School to High School
Reading Level: 6th grade
Time: 20 minutes
Cost: Free
Link: O’Net Interest Profiler
Washington Career Bridge
Author: Workforce Training and Education Coordinating Board, Washington State
Description: Washington Career Bridge is an online assessment tool with three components. It first helps students identify interests, preferences, and personal traits, generating a list of career clusters. Selecting a career cluster leads to detailed information about related careers. The platform also includes an “Explore Careers” quiz and job trend data, with a component specific to Washington State resources.
Age Band: Middle School to High School
Reading Level: 6th grade
Cost: Free
Link: Washington Career Bridge
Explore Careers at a Glance: Career One Stop
Author: US Department of Labor
Description: Career One Stop’s “Explore Careers at a Glance” offers three integrated online assessments. It allows users to explore careers, investigate job trends, and research careers by state. The suite includes a Skills Matcher to align skills with job types, an Interest Assessment to match interests with potential careers, and a Work Values Matcher to clarify work values and link them to suitable careers.
Age Band: 14-18
Reading Level: 8th Grade
Time: Varies by assessment (5-20 minutes)
Cost: Free
Link: Explore Careers at a Glance: Career One Stop
Interest Assessment Link: Interest Assessment
Skills Matcher Link: Skills Matcher
Work Values Matcher Link: Work Values Matcher
Job Observation Form
Author: Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education
Description: The Job Observation Form is a tool for educators to assess a student’s independence and need for assistance in a worksite environment. It is designed to guide observations and evaluations of student performance in real-world work settings.
Age Band: 16-21
Time: 30 minutes to half a day
Cost: Free
Link: Job Observation Form
Career Goal/Job Matching Tool
Author: Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education
Description: This tool assists students in identifying careers of interest by exploring various options using O’Net and the Occupational Outlook Handbook. It provides a structured chart and guiding questions to help students compare their career aspirations with job requirements, facilitating the identification of suitable career matches and personal career goals.
Age Band: 14-16
Time: 30 – 60 minutes
Cost: Free
Link: Career Goal/Job Matching Tool
The Princeton Review Career Quiz
Source: The Princeton Review
Description: The Princeton Review Career Quiz is a brief online quiz designed to identify strengths and weaknesses related to career abilities. It suggests careers that align with the quiz results. It is a quick, accessible tool for initial career exploration.
Age Band: 14-18
Time: 10 minutes
Cost: Free
Link: The Princeton Review Career Quiz
Explore Work
Source: WINTAC/George Washington University
Description: Explore Work is an online training program designed to help students, particularly those with disabilities, explore their talents and plan for the future. It offers web-based modules covering career planning, job exploration, workplace readiness, exploring work experiences and postsecondary education, and self-advocacy, with both guided and self-guided learning options.
Age Band: 14-21
Time: Varies depending on module
Cost: Free
Link: Explore Work
The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)
Source: US Department of Defense
Description: The ASVAB is a timed, multi-aptitude test developed by the Department of Defense. It assesses skills across eight academic and vocational areas and is widely administered in schools and Military Entrance Processing Stations. It provides insights into aptitudes relevant to both military and civilian careers. Practice tests are available online.
Age Band: 16-adult
Reading Level: 9th grade
Time: Sample Tests Available
Cost: Free
Link: The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)
Transition to Work Inventory (TWI) 3rd Edition
Source: John J. Liptak, Ed.D.
Description: The Transition to Work Inventory (TWI) is an easy-to-use assessment that helps individuals, even with limited work experience, identify job options and facilitate more effective career transitions. Users rate their interest in 96 non-work activities, and self-scoring connects these interests to 16 career clusters, related jobs, self-employment options, and educational paths.
Age Band: High school through adult
Reading Level: 7th grade
Time: 25 minutes
Cost: $69.95/package of 25
Link: Transition to Work Inventory (TWI) 3rd Edition
The READY Tool: Readiness Evaluation of Transition to Adulthood for Deaf-Blind Youth
Author: National Center of Deaf-Blindness
Description: The READY Tool is designed to assist transition teams, including deaf-blind individuals, parents, and professionals, in identifying essential activities for the transition process. The tool helps generate action plans and develop IEP and transition plan goals and objectives for deaf-blind youth.
Age Group: Ages 14-22 Deaf-Blind Individuals
Cost: Free
Link: The READY Tool: Readiness Evaluation of Transition to Adulthood for Deaf-Blind Youth
Total Life Learning: Preparing for Transition. A Curriculum for All Students with Sensory Impairments
Author: Wendy Bridge, Beth Caruso, Mary Zatt
Description: Total Life Learning is a curriculum developed for students aged 3 to 22 who are blind or visually impaired, including those with additional disabilities. It focuses on developing life and career goals to maximize independence, self-determination, employability, and community participation. The curriculum offers goals, objectives, activities, and assessments across work skills, organizational skills, self-advocacy, personal care, employment, and secondary education.
Age Group: All grades; Blind/Visually Impaired
Cost: Free
Link: Total Life Learning: Preparing for Transition. A Curriculum for All Students with Sensory Impairments
CareerConnect-For Job Seekers Who are Visually Impaired
Source: American Printing House for the Blind
Description: CareerConnect™ is a free resource for employment planning for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. It provides information about diverse occupations, mentors, and assistive technology. It utilizes O*NET data to offer essential information for career exploration and expand job options for individuals with visual impairments.
Age Group: Ages 14-21; Blind/Visually Impaired
Cost: Free
Link: CareerConnect-For Job Seekers Who are Visually Impaired
Conclusion
Introducing career assessment tools in middle school is a proactive step in guiding students toward fulfilling and successful career paths. These resources provide valuable insights into students’ interests and aptitudes, helping them to start thinking about their future in a structured and informed way. By utilizing these tools, educators and counselors can effectively support middle school students in their initial stages of career exploration and planning.
