Alyce

I had something new to share with those in the know who could nod and
say "exactly" as well as for anyone who may be feeling a bit shaky or
new as yet... I know there are a couple of people here. ;) This just
goes to illustrate a point about how testing really tells you nothing
about someone's actual ability. My husband recently had to take an NEC
exam (electrician stuff). It was an open-book, timed, multiple-choice
deal-y. Just for sh*ts and giggles, I took the practice test... Which
was rather lengthy, but I wanted to see what all the hubbub was.
Ladies... I aced it... I got them all right within the allotted time
limit. So here I am qualified as a journeyman electrician, but anyone
who let me near their electrical work would be in big trouble. I have
NO CLUE...

I was telling my brother about it this weekend by phone, and
interestingly, his wife had done the same thing with his ASE exam (auto
mechanic). She aced the test, but wouldn't be able to do any of the
actual work if it came up.

Finally, when I worked as a web developer (for which I never went to
school, I was self taught) we hired a guy who had gone through one of
those 18 month certificate programs... Nice guy... But I had to teach
him from scratch... The very basics. He learned, but had to admit, all
he knew after coming out of that program was how pass the tests to get
the certificate. A year and a half of his life! SO... There you go.

~Alyce

Betsy

**So here I am qualified as a journeyman electrician, but anyone
who let me near their electrical work would be in big trouble. I have
NO CLUE... **

If a career as an electrician doesn't appeal to you, perhaps you could
rent yourself out as a professional test taker. People need your skills
to survive in this crazy bureaucratic world we have created.

I have heard that there are some tests one can score badly on if one
knows more than the test makers and starts considering some of the
obscure exceptions to the "known rules".

Betsy

Nancy Wooton

on 10/20/03 12:09 PM, Betsy at ecsamhill@... wrote:

You guys should check out this article I'm reading right now, about the New
SAT
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101031027-524393,00.html?c

Nancy
>
>
> **So here I am qualified as a journeyman electrician, but anyone
> who let me near their electrical work would be in big trouble. I have
> NO CLUE... **
>
> If a career as an electrician doesn't appeal to you, perhaps you could
> rent yourself out as a professional test taker. People need your skills
> to survive in this crazy bureaucratic world we have created.
>
> I have heard that there are some tests one can score badly on if one
> knows more than the test makers and starts considering some of the
> obscure exceptions to the "known rules".
>
> Betsy
>

Alyce

--- In [email protected], Betsy <ecsamhill@e...> wrote:
>
>
> **So here I am qualified as a journeyman electrician, but anyone
> who let me near their electrical work would be in big trouble. I
have
> NO CLUE... **
>
> If a career as an electrician doesn't appeal to you, perhaps you
could
> rent yourself out as a professional test taker. People need your
skills
> to survive in this crazy bureaucratic world we have created.
>
> I have heard that there are some tests one can score badly on if
one
> knows more than the test makers and starts considering some of the
> obscure exceptions to the "known rules".
>
> Betsy

My husband didn't score as well as he should have, or rather, as we
would have expected - he's been doing this for a living for 20
years. A lot of it had to do with "exceptions" you mentioned and
other "inane bull" as he put it. He doesn't test well...he can just
do the work. The building inspectors love him though. :) Never a
problem. Being able to do the work, unfortunately, doesn't count
for much with a lot of people. It's all about the test. pffft.
They ought to test people for skilled work with actual hands-on work
I should think, not on paper. Had we been competing for the same
job based on that fool test, I'd have gotten it. "That don't make
no dang sense."

~Alyce

Alyce

--- In [email protected], Nancy Wooton
<ikonstitcher@c...> wrote:
> on 10/20/03 12:09 PM, Betsy at ecsamhill@e... wrote:
>
> You guys should check out this article I'm reading right now,
about the New
> SAT
> http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101031027-
524393,00.html?c
>
> Nancy


Thanks for sending that. Guess I'd have trouble faking my way
through that one, eh? Good thing I'm not planning to take it. :)

~Alyce

[email protected]

In a message dated 10/20/03 1:22:40 PM, Groups@... writes:

<< Being able to do the work, unfortunately, doesn't count

for much with a lot of people. It's all about the test. pffft.

They ought to test people for skilled work with actual hands-on work

I should think, not on paper. >>

A long time ago, I knew how to use a word processing machine called a
Lexitron.
It was a dedicated word processor (Like a really spiff version of Word, with
display screens the size and shape of a page, and this was late 70's, 1980ish.)

I went to a placement agency to see what jobs they might have for me. I said
I could use a Lexitron. I had been doing typing and editing for an
archeology firm, doing government reports on what exciting sheepherder camp might have
once been on the place where they were putting in a parking lot, or whatever.

They said okay! They could give me a Lexitron test.

It was a piece of paper with ten questions. I didn't do very well. It asked
what key is used to center, and things like that. I knew with my hands
without looking, but I didn't know if it was F7 or F8 or whatever, for purposes of
their paper.

I knew it REALLY, not theoretically. I had learned it by doing it. I could
have entered his test text and formatted it exactly the way it was on that
page or better probably quicker than this guy could have READ it, but that was no
good, since he didn't have a Lexitron (nor had he ever heard of one).

Same guy also advised me NOT to say I had been a teacher. I asked what he
thought I should put in that six-year hole then? He said I was young, and it
might be better to just let them assume I hadn't had a job yet than to say
"teacher," because so many people didn't like teachers.

I hadn't thought of that story for years and years, and have told it no more
than maybe three times since, because it was so profoundly frustratingly
profound.

Sandra

Alyce

Sandra wrote:

> I knew it REALLY, not theoretically. I had learned it by doing
it. I could
> have entered his test text and formatted it exactly the way it was
on that
> page or better probably quicker than this guy could have READ it,
but that was no
> good, since he didn't have a Lexitron (nor had he ever heard of
one).

I've found this to be the norm when interviewing for jobs - the
people asking the questions don't know what they're asking. If you
don't give the pat answer they want, they figure you don't know.
I've even gone so far as to try to explain to them what they were
asking so they could then understand how my answer - not exactly
what they had for a correct response on paper - was still correct.
I only succeeded in confusing them and not getting the jobs. And so
it goes... and goes. When will it ever make any sense?

>let them assume I hadn't had a job yet than to say
> "teacher," because so many people didn't like teachers.

Why don't people like teachers? How frustrating for you indeed.
And nothing has changed since then.

~Alyce

Bill & Diane

>
>
>>let them assume I hadn't had a job yet than to say
>>"teacher," because so many people didn't like teachers.
>>
>>
>
>Why don't people like teachers? How frustrating for you indeed.
>And nothing has changed since then.
>

People don't like teachers because they've dealt with them for 12
miserable years or more of their lives. And interviewers or employers
are often dealing with their children's teachers, too. Bleah!

:-) Diane




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