EirQuest

Career guidance and aptitude tests for Irish post-primary students, from Transition Year to college choices

Career guidance for Irish post-primary schools

EirQuest is the careers guidance programme for Irish post-primary schools, available in Irish and English. Students in Transition Year, 5th and 6th Year match their interests and abilities to career areas, use their results to inform Leaving Certificate subject choices, and plan their next steps with their guidance counsellor.

Interest profiles, aptitude tests and Leaving Cert subject choice

EirQuest analyses each student’s answers to 300 questions and produces an Interest Profile across more than 50 broad career areas. Students then research over 550 careers in WORKBRIEF. Add the MyAptitude aptitude tests, with Irish norms, for a fuller picture of each student’s strengths before subject choices are made.

MyFirstChoices

Age 11+ years

What is MyFirstChoices?

Our interest-based questionnaire guides individual students towards the career avenues that best suit them. By understanding which careers demand knowledge of science, arts, languages, humanities and social studies, they learn how different choices can keep the doors open to different careers.

Ideal for the dynamic educational landscape of Ireland, this programme is an essential tool for Guidance Counsellors committed to equipping their students with robust early-stage career insights. It’s an approach we have refined and optimised over 30 years of working with schools.

Investing in MyFirstChoices is not just about preparing students for their future; it’s about understanding their present. Let’s empower Ireland’s next generation to make informed choices about their career paths from an early age.

MyFirstChoices helps students aged 11+ by:

Eye-Opening Research: An interactive interface that allows students to discover a multitude of careers that may interest them, based on their responses to 100 questions.

Encouraging Exploration: Offering tailored worksheets to reflect on different career options and if they might be suited to the role.

Real-world Considerations: Reveal how interests and lifestyle can influence their decision-making at key stages and help make the right choices for the long-term.

Informed Decision Making: Providing clarity on the importance of selecting appropriate subjects, such as the Junior Certificate, which can shape future career trajectories.

Enhanced Research Skills: Guiding students to effectively utilise the resources within the MyFirstChoices programme for in-depth career research.

Support and Tracking: A single hub where Guidance Counsellors can monitor and manage students, view their results, and download summaries of all students.

EirQuest

Age 14 – 17 years

Our Careers Testing

EirQuest builds a clear picture of a young person’s strongest occupational and academic interests, as well as their related abilities and personal qualities. In addition to detailing careers with which the student is likely familiar, it also highlights new possibilities that they may not have previously considered. Results are broken down into well-matched career areas (e.g. law) and related careers (e.g. barrister, solicitor).

EirQuest helps students by:

Broadening Horizons: Inspiring students to think deeply about a diverse range of career paths, opening doors to possibilities they might not have previously considered.

Personalised Insights: Through an interest-based questionnaire, students are guided towards careers that truly resonate with their passions and strengths.

Real-world Connections: Establishing a basis for the choice of Leaving Certificate subjects to meet the entry requirements for potential future professions or courses.

Lifestyle Considerations: Highlighting the realities and expectations of working in those roles and how lifestyle can influence long-term career satisfaction and success.

Reflect and Plan: Looking back at research to note any trends or surprises, and making a structured plan of action to go forward and achieve their aspirations.

Support and Tracking: An intuitive platform where Guidance Counsellors can monitor student progress, view results, and provide necessary interventions, ensuring every student gets the most out of the programme.

MyAptitude

Age 14 – 17 years

Our Aptitude Testing

MyAptitude is a psychometrically-based aptitude test developed with renowned Occupational Psychologist, Dr. Charles Johnson. Its ability tests are backed by an Irish norming study of 2,227 students in 15 post-primary schools and published reliability and validity evidence. MyAptitude, with recognised Irish norms, is included on the Irish Department of Education and Youth’s published list of psychometric assessments for post-primary guidance. It gives students valuable insights into the work and careers best suited to their skills and interests. And it helps staff understand students’ academic potential and abilities so they can better advise on next steps.

The results pinpoint a student’s strengths and areas for development. They integrate with MyCareerChoices and MyUniChoices to highlight potential career pathways, making it an invaluable tool for future academic and professional planning.

Practice in tests of this kind can help students gain confidence and avoid stress when faced with similar tests in the future.

To throw greater light on the results, each test result is shown in triple bar graph form, revealing: the percentile score (how the student has performed in comparison with other students of comparable age and region), speed of completion, and accuracy of responses.

The Verbal Reasoning test is available in most major languages: Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Dutch, English (UK), Welsh, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Spanish, and Turkish. It can be taken in addition to the test in English to allow students to reveal their true academic potential in their first language.

The test takes around 90 minutes to administer, and comprises:

MyAptitude is included on the Irish Department of Education and Youth’s published list of psychometric assessments for post-primary guidance

Verbal Reasoning

Numerical Reasoning

Abstract Reasoning

2D Spatial Reasoning

3D Spatial Reasoning

Arithmetic Calculation

Working Quickly and Accurately

Spelling

MyUniChoices

Age 16 – 18 years

Our Higher Education Programme

We’ve got the world of higher education covered, with more than 48,800 courses from over 770 institutions in Ireland, the UK, and English-speaking courses in Europe and Canada. Confronted with thousands of options, MyUniChoices enables students to narrow these down to a manageable number.

What is MyUniChoices?

MyUniChoices is a powerful platform that identifies the courses and institutions best suited to each student’s interests and abilities, based on their responses to 150 questions, whilst facilitating the application process. It takes the stress out of planning the next stage of their academic career.

The personalised feedback helps students by:

Accurately aligning their interests and predicted grades to a manageable number of relevant courses.

Challenging their choices when they may not be soundly based.

Making effective use of limited time for in-depth research by collating fee information, open days, graduate opportunities, transport links, and career pathways.

Providing useful filters to organise their course list, such as: location, entry requirements, language, study abroad option, placement year etc.

Assisting students in crafting compelling applications with the Personal Statement Planner.

Each student is given digital access to their own online Student Portal, where they can also download a PDF of their results and visit Degree Course Descriptions.

How does MyUniChoices help?

150 Questions

Instant course recommendations

Easy comparison of courses

Ability based course recommendations

48,800+ Courses

Shortlisting

Links to helpful research

University checklist

150 questions to highlight degree areas.

Highlighting the course areas that are best suited to you.

Presenting all the available information that you need to make good decisions.

Providing Degree Course Descriptions, the indispensable research tool that explains courses in significant detail.

Streamlining the process of UCAS, CAO or overseas applications with the use of our Personal Statement Planner.

Webinars/Training

EirQuest

Discover EirQuest: An Overview & Refresher for Guidance Counsellors

Delve into 'Discovering EirQuest'! Exclusive webinar for Guidance Counsellors. Dive deep into enhanced features. Don't miss out!

Watch recording

MyCareerChoices

Discover the new MyHQ (Ireland)

Join the "Introducing the New MyHQ" webinar for Ireland - Discover our smarter, faster careers platform with streamline student management

Watch recording

MyCareerChoices

Discover the new MyHQ

Join the "Introducing the New MyHQ" webinar: discover our smarter, faster careers platform with streamline student management

Watch recording

MyFirstChoices

Brian Mooney: Strategies for Early Career Exploration

Exploring the ways students can start discovering their interests and potential career paths at a young age

Watch recording

MyFirstChoices

Brian Mooney: Addressing the unique needs of students

Delve into how guidance counsellors can cater to the diverse needs of students, including those with learning difficulties or special talents

Watch recording

MyFirstChoices

Brian Mooney: The importance of parental involvement

Explore the role parents play in supporting their children's academic and career development, and how guidance counsellors can effectively engage with pare

Watch recording

MyUniChoices

Brian Mooney: Navigating the Transition from Secondary

Dive into expert insights with Brian Mooney on navigating secondary to tertiary transitions. Essential viewing for guidance counsellors

Watch recording

We have been using EirQuest & MyAptitude (formerly Cambridge Profile) for a number of years now, and get back very positive feedback, particularly from parents who are able to discuss the report at home with their son/daughter and find it is a great help for choosing subject and career choices.

Tony O’GaraSligo Grammar School

Appreciation of MyFutureChoice Programmes by Brian Mooney

“I administer MyAptitude Tests alongside the EirQuest interest inventory to all incoming 5th year students during Transition Year, prior to them making their Leaving Certificate subject choices.

To ensure the best use of the limited hours now available to all Guidance Counsellors to provide a comprehensive guidance service, I find the following system works well.

On receiving the results from MyFutureChoice, I present the findings of the students’ workbooks in three two-hour sessions to about thirty students accompanied by at least one parent. During the afternoon presentation some teaching colleagues drop by to explain their particular subject to both students and
parents. I finish the presentation by relating the full range of subjects on offer in 5th year to the findings in each student’s MyFutureChoice workbook.

Having used these instruments for many years now, I find them highly effective in facilitating student subject choices. The percentage of students who subsequently request a change is insignificant.

I have had a similar positive experience with MyUniChoices in helping students clarify their third level college choices at the beginning of 6th year. The MyUniChoices workbook provides each student with a detailed description of their preferred course areas and the relevant courses available in Ireland, the UK and in recent years, programmes taught exclusively in English across European universities. Therefore, I have no hesitation in recommending MyFutureChoice’s programmes to you, my colleagues.”

Brian Mooney is a Fellow and a former President of the Institute of Guidance Counsellors

Discover more

Discover how we can help with careers advice and guidance to ensure individuals make better decisions for their own unique career journey. Download our full MyFutureChoice programme overview and see how we can help you.

Brochure Request

Frequently Asked Questions

Why a careers programme?

It is important for young people to select suitable Leaving Certificate subjects, to develop a greater awareness of their own possible career areas and to organise the effects of rapidly changing trends in national and global employment. More than ever, students need a clear sense of purpose towards higher education and to be strongly motivated in their approach to academic and vocational work. EirQuest helps to focus these thoughts on possible careers which can help the student in choosing their own Leaving Certificate subjects

What do students receive?

– Access to My FutureChoice’s Student Portal, up to age 24, including resources and supporting materials
– Online questionnaire test
– Bespoke PDF report of results, which can be downloaded and shared as required by the student
– Access to WORKBRIEF
– Personal Reflection and Action Plans to help with next step
– An overview of the career area and brief descriptions of each career in this area
– Important academic subjects required for entry to relevant HE courses
– Overall Match bar graphs showing relative strengths of important supporting areas of interest, and comments explaining their relevance

How does EirQuest operate?

Students complete a questionnaire about their interests, abilities and personal qualities without pressure of time. Their answers are then analysed to produce a careers profile covering over 40 broad career areas.

The student’s feedback is presented in a report format and within their own Student Portal. Using their feedback students are encouraged to reflect on their own progress and complete an appropriate Action Plan, making use of WORKBRIEF (the online resource of The Careers Directory) and to acquire relevant work experience and advice.

MyAptitude is an optional set of aptitude tests. The results can be incorporated into the student’s overall feedback, it is included on the Irish Department of Education and Youth’s published list of psychometric assessments for post-primary guidance. Students receive their feedback both in report format and online within their Student Portal where they can access their interactive work area.

How is the effectiveness of EirQuest assessed?

At MyFutureChoice, we place the technical quality of our career programmes and aptitude tests high on our list of priorities. The services of a well-established Occupational Psychologist, Dr Charles Johnson, are used to evaluate the technical characteristics and properties of all MyFutureChoice careers programmes and to ensure they meet acceptable standards of reliability and accuracy.

Supporting Materials and Resources

WORKBRIEF

WORKBRIEF is accessed by student’s completing EirQuest through their Student Portal. Careers are presented to the students using the acronym WORKBRIEF, headed as below

hat work is involved?

pportunities for training

equirements for entry

ind of person

road outlook

elated occupation

mpact on lifestyle

arnings potential

urther information

These headings co-ordinate with the career analysis forms used in the EirQuest PDF report and digital portal.

Degree Course Descriptions

Degree Course Descriptions is available as an online licenced resource either as a standalone product or as part of the MyUniChoices programme.

The descriptions cover over 110 degree course areas, giving information and guidance not easily available elsewhere. They are written by heads of department and senior lecturers at major universities-people who know their course from the inside and understand the doubts and difficulties facing students.

Each description gives an overview of a typical course area and its content, specifying the nuances of similar subjects i.e. biochemistry vs biomedicine. Also highlighted are career opportunities, related degrees, recommended reading, and websites for further research.

A Course Check Questionnaire is provided for each course title so students can assess their suitability using a series of 20 relevant questions.

Online Resources

Student Portal

Each student is given access to their own Student Portal where they receive feedback, carry out research and reflect on their findings. The Student Portal has numerous tools to assist with the student’s decision-making, eg students can complete action plans and personal reflections. Students have the opportunity to revisit the programme as often as they like, up until the age of 24.

MyHQ

MyHQ is an online administration system for staff. It provides an archive for all EirQuest, MyAptitude and MyUniChoices reports and enables staff to monitor the students’ progress. This useful facility ensures tutorial work and Interviewing can be done easily. There is also access to MyFutureChoice’s online library of resources which include PowerPoint presentations, parent brochures and other supportive documentation.