What is the AIA?
The Ashland Interest Assessment (AIA) is a career interest assessment for individuals with barriers to employment due to educational, physical, emotional, cognitive, or psychiatric conditions. It can be used for career and educational planning for individuals with special needs at high schools, employment centers, youth services and learning centers. The AIA consists of 144 pairs of work-related activities requiring the respondent to decide which activity he or she would most like to do.
Who Should Use the AIA?
- Career counseling and career planning for individuals with special needs
- Clients looking to enter the workforce or explore job opportunities who have developmental challenges or barriers to employment
- Individuals at or above a 3rd grade reading level
- Counselor-led interpretation
Why Should I Use the AIA?
CONVENIENT. The AIA can be administered on SIGMA’s online platform – SigmaTesting.com. Reports are generated immediately. Results of this career interest assessment are presented using graphs, numbers, scale descriptions, and job information that is insightful and easy to understand.
FORCED-CHOICE FORMAT. The AIA employs a forced-choice format asking respondents to indicate a preference between two options. This format offers an improvement over Likert rating scales as it minimizes susceptibility to response bias and helps the test taker discriminate between career interests. Using forced-choice format eliminates this source of response bias.
DESIGNED WITH SPECIAL NEEDS IN MIND. AIA items are clear and concise and designed to be easily interpreted and rated by those at or above a 3rd grade reading level. Respondents rate their preferences for a series of work-related activities such as ‘Set tables in a restaurant.’ Items are printed in larger than normal type. The results are presented in a clear and easy to understand format.
RELIABLE AND VALID. The AIA is a reliable and valid career interest assessment. Norms were collected from individuals with employment barriers at agencies, schools, learning centers, mental health care facilities, and mental health associations. The AIA was normed on 725 females and 725 males.
Pricing
Each available AIA administration method is listed below, along with a summary of the associated startup costs.
| US Pricing | Canadian Pricing | |
| Online Testing | $58 | $66 |
- This pricing includes SigmaTesting.com account setup, 4 AIA test administrations, 4 AIA Extended Reports, access to the AIA Technical Manual, and access to technical support.
- SigmaTesting.com has a minimum purchase requirement of $50.
- The per unit price of the AIA is $14.50 USD and $16.50 CAD.
| US Pricing | Canadian Pricing | |
| Software Scoring | $206 | $230 |
- This price includes the SigmaSoft Software, 10 coupons, and AIA Software Manual. The AIA Technical Manual is sold separately.
| US Pricing | Canadian Pricing | |
| Mail-In Scoring | $166 | $195 |
- This price includes the AIA Technical Manual, 10 AIA Question/Answer Sheets, and 10 AIA Extended Reports.
- Customers will need to mail the AIA Question/Answer Sheets to SIGMA to be scored. An Extended Report will be returned by mail or email.
| US Pricing | Canadian Pricing | |
| Hand Scoring | $128 | $146 |
- This price includes the AIA Technical Manual, 5 AIA Question/Answer Booklets, AIA Response Sheets (5 Scoring Sheets and 5 Profile Sheets), and set of AIA Templates.
Click here for a complete listing of all our AIA products and pricing.
Ready to Administer the AIA?
Purchasing the AIA is quick and easy. The first step is to complete an application form to gain approval for an online account. Once approved, you will receive an email with your login information. At that point, you can log in, purchase tests, and begin testing.
Need more information? Contact us today and our customer service team will contact you within 1 to 2 business days with a response. You can also call us at our toll-free line at 1-800-401-4480 (in Canada) or 1-800-265-1285 (in the US).