Subj : Aptitude tests "not test well" (was: Software Job Market Myths)
To   : comp.programming,comp.software-eng
From : rem642b
Date : Thu Aug 18 2005 12:20 am

> From: blm...@myrealbox.com
> >if I were designing an application form, I would
> >not bother to put an age field on there, or even a DOB field, despite my
> >earlier point about it being a useful indicator. And that's because I
> >wouldn't bother putting a former employer section or a qualification
> >section on the form. Instead, I'd put in an aptitude test.

> it seems to me that it would screen out people who don't "test well",
> i.e., people who aren't very good at demonstrating their abilities
> under a particular kind of pressure that doesn't seem entirely relevant
> to what you'd want them to do on the job.

IIRC that kind of pressure mostly applies when contestants are
called into a room at a particular time with a standardized test
with a limited amount of time to finish the test. If the test were
instead given over the Web, with the contestant/applicant allowed
to start whenever they feel ready to tackle the first question,
and they're timed on just that one question then offered a chance to
either take a break or move to the next question, timing each
successive question individually and always offering chance for taking
a break after finishing each question before seeing the next, and
there's no time limit for all the questions although taking too much
time causes a lower score, that would seem to elmininate the problem of
fatigue in a long test, "bad days", and the pressure of coming to a
test room at a particular time. Would that alleviate most of your
concerns?

.