RE: /400 skills test

I don't know about the value of standardized tests, but I do remember from
the Tests and Measurements class I took when I almost got a psychology
degree how questions like the squirming fish one get on tests.  The
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Assessment (or whatever it's called) and
tests like it are constructed by having groups of people who are diagnosed
with a particular personality disorder or mental illness and control groups
of "normal" people respond to a list of questions that don't necessarily
have any direct relationship to the behavior in question.  (I doubt that
they enjoy it.)  The questions that the the personality disorder group
responds to in a way that differs from the control group with a high degree
of statistical significance become test questions.  They also throw in some
questions on the tests that contribute nothing to the scoring.  The idea is
to construct an unbeatable test.  Does it work?  Beats me.  I gave up on
psychology in my senior year.  Many years later I got the history degree
that provided entry to a lucrative career in business data processing. <g>
My interview was conducted over lunch in an Indian restaurant. 


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rob Berendt [mailto:rob@dekko.com]
> Sent: Thursday, May 18, 2000 7:13 AM
> To: MIDRANGE-L@midrange.com
> Subject: RE: /400 skills test
> 
> 
> Two ideas:
> 
> One.  Hasn't it been argued that all IQ tests are skewed 
> towards race or life experiences?  I got a great example 
> out of a Tom Clancy novel.  It went something like this, 
> if you were asked which object to associate with a coffee 
> cup which would you pick:  saucer, automobile, bench.
> Rich person raised on Emily Post:  Saucer
> Middle class person who commutes:  Automobile
> Homeless person:  bench
> 
> Two.  There will always be arguments against testing or 
> evaluating of any kind.  People do not want to be held accountable.
> 
> We've hired people who talked a great talk without code 
> testing.  What a waste of our time.  Person refused to learn 
> Query because about the only program they could write was 
> one that Query could handle.
> 
> We do have some attitude and IQ tests that all applicants 
> must go through.  Takes a few hours.  One question I remember 
> was 'Does the sight of a fish on a hook make you squirm?'  
> What the @#$% does that have to do with anything?
> 
> 
> 
> 
>
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