OK, enough with the quizzes

I suddenly realized that four posts in a row were me taking tests I knew I could pass with flying colors (i.e. I took them for the hell of it and got results I felt like sharing). So let's talk about tests, shall we?

I don't always march to same beat as everyone else, so those of you who find finals hell on earth should stop reading now.

I can honestly say that tests don't bother me. I like tests. Tests are fun. Tests can sometimes be frustrating right then and there, but I don't spend the night before a test studying for it, or tossing and turning in my sleep. A bit of nerves, perhaps, on the day itself, but once I've grabbed that #2 pencil (or these days, the mouse), I'm fine. In school, I discovered that if I did all my homework, I wouldn't have to cram for tests. I also discovered that my brain doesn't do cramming very well ("You want me to remember all this for the next 24 hours after ignoring it for 24 weeks? Yeah, right.") and since neither it nor I function without a good night's sleep, I'd rather be rested before being tested.

I should be a bit more specific: I like those multiple choice tests, and IQ tests and the goofy quizzes littering blogdom. I take surveys, I fill out forms, I check off all that apply. Heck, I even enjoy voting because it's like a multiple choice test. The hardest tests I've had to take were one in archeology in college because that teacher didn't do multiple choice ("You mean I have to organize what I know into complete sentences and paragraphs???"), and a chemistry test in high school. That chemistry test was one I dreaded. I was ill-prepared, but got out of it by fainting in the bathroom one morning. Turns out I, at age 17, had finally managed to get chicken pox. Two weeks home in bed, and then back to school and a make-up test in chemistry. I got a C. If memory serves, I got a B on the archeology test.

You didn't know I was interested in archeology, did you. It's a cool science; it involves enthusiastically digging around in someone else's garbage, trying to figure out what everything was for. I'm absolutely tickled by the idea that humans have been slobs our entire existence. I'm also fascinated by our existence-long relationship with death, and our general ingenuity. What made me lose interest in becoming an archeologist was the thought of using tiny little brushes to move a square mile of dirt. And chemistry is something I bother with only when the drain is clogged.

Comments

Deadman said…
The last test I had to take was some retarded thing when I applied for a job at a construction company that was supposed to be designed to show what level of knowledge you had about construction. Some of the questions were so fucking retarded it wasn't funny:

"What is the best way to find square?"

Uh, look at map?

Of course I knew what they meant. Best way? There are all sorts of ways. It depends on the condition. Are we talking about a cabinet corner or a slab that measures 100' by 50'? Because the same method is not appropriate for both of those conditions.

Tests like that bother me because they're too subjective.

BTW, I was hired, but then de-hired before I could start cuz the owner didn't like the guy I was working for at the time. So much for the value of the test!
Paula said…
I've always done really well on tests, so I enjoy taking them. It kind of builds on itself. I've done both sensible studying and cramming with little diff as far as results. I also have eidetic memory (kinda like photographic, but with text and numbers more than images), which fades with age, but still. I've gotten cocky and fallen on my face though, most notably in a philosophy class where the stuff seemed so easy at first I didn't pay any attention to the lectures and...oops.
Keera Ann Fox said…
Mark, what bothers me more than not knowing the answers to a test, is finding out the test itself is worthless/just for show.

Paula, I've made that same mistake of not paying attention. Never again.
Tim said…
ugh . . . tests. Don't talk about tests. My final three are today, and I DID spend last night cramming. I'll be glad when this particular class is over with!

I looove archaelogy. Then again, I love all science. ;)
Keera Ann Fox said…
So, how do you think you did on yesterday's tests, Tim?
SolSionnach said…
I've been taking multiple choice tests at AOMA for 4 years now, and I can sincerely say that I know how to suss them out. I find that going in to a test with the idea that it's a challenge (rather than some big scary thing) helps me feel confident, and I do better.

This has served as a wake-up call - I have a test on Friday (with lots of memorizing/cramming to do between now and then) - and I haven't cracked a book yet. Yikes. Must. Start. Now!
Keera Ann Fox said…
Sravana, as usual you'll do better than you thought. :-)

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