Abstract
In the article are described the stages of abilities’ development from the beginning their inception totheir research of abilities’ properties, composition and forms. The article reveals connections of professional abilities with skills and competencies.Based on a qualitative content analysis of scientific psychological and pedagogical publications offoreign and domestic authors for the period from 2016 to 2022, the structure and components of professional abilities are derived not only by the frequency of repetition but also by the degree of components’importance. Moreover, in order to determine the structure of professional abilities, scientific publicationswere reviewed. The conducted research shows that the structure of professional abilities includes components of cognitive and non-cognitive abilities. Cognitive abilities are defined in intellectual skills, andways of thinking necessary to apply the acquired knowledge in new and complex situations in the professional field, not to mention acquiring new related knowledge throughout life. Whereas, non-cognitiveabilities include individual capacities that affect the academic achievements of students and their professional activities in their future careers.Key words: professional abilities, skills, competencies, cognitive abilities, professional activity.