4 ms·

We were given a test like this in school once. The first instruction was to not do anything until you'd read all the questions. The 'questions' were all stuff l

We were given a test like this in school once. The first instruction was to not do anything until you'd read all the questions. The 'questions' were all stuff like poke holes in the corner of the paper, some math problems stuff like that. At the end of the test, the last question was, don't do questions 1-9, simply write your name in the corner and turn the test over. The test was supposed to be about your ability to read and follow instructions, few people in my class passed the test. As soon as the test started you could see people poking holes and writing things.

RandoHolmes 6y ago
I had something similar and failed and thought it was the dumbest thing ever. I'm not an automaton. You didn't tell me at the beginning that the point was to follow every single thing exactly to the letter. Of course I could play that game, but you spend my entire career as a student telling me to happily skip problems and go on the next and then you want to act as if it's a problem with me that I engaged in the test in good faith.
compiler-guy 6y ago
Although it's point is good, I hate this test because--at least in most versions I have seen--nothing tells you to skip questions 1-9. The directions say, "Read all the questions first." OK fine. Then question 10 says, "Just write your name on the paper and turn it over." But why should question 10 be the only one you follow? "Read all the questions" is the only direction you have. There is never a "skip 1-9", except in number 10, but why would you start with that one? It's a decent idea, but needs better execution.
- Fnoord 6y ago
  The instruction is very clear and precise. It says to read all the questions. Not to answer them (or answer them right away). Therefore, if you follow the instruction, you end up reading question #10 following the process, within the time it takes to read all the questions. Now, that instruction might seem controversial, but it really isn't. If you have the time, its a good idea to read content well, before dealing with it further.
  - compiler-guy 6y ago
    So, after you have read all of the instructions, why follow the instruction in question 10 instead of starting at the beginning? I suppose you are saying that no one ever told you to actually take the quiz, but that is pretty stupid if you follow that in every other situation. It's a set up, designed to make people look stupid.
    - Fnoord 6y ago
      The lesson is that sometimes patience pays off. If I have the time (and I don't like to stress myself), I always have an overview of the whole picture, in this case the questions. For example, if I have to sign a document, I first read it through once, and then another time to act. It might seem like lost time, but actually you have a much better understanding of the content.

RandoHolmes 6y ago

I had something similar and failed and thought it was the dumbest thing ever. I'm not an automaton. You didn't tell me at the beginning that the point was to follow every single thing exactly to the letter. Of course I could play that game, but you spend my entire career as a student telling me to happily skip problems and go on the next and then you want to act as if it's a problem with me that I engaged in the test in good faith.

compiler-guy 6y ago

Although it's point is good, I hate this test because--at least in most versions I have seen--nothing tells you to skip questions 1-9. The directions say, "Read all the questions first." OK fine. Then question 10 says, "Just write your name on the paper and turn it over." But why should question 10 be the only one you follow? "Read all the questions" is the only direction you have. There is never a "skip 1-9", except in number 10, but why would you start with that one? It's a decent idea, but needs better execution.

Fnoord 6y ago
The instruction is very clear and precise. It says to read all the questions. Not to answer them (or answer them right away). Therefore, if you follow the instruction, you end up reading question #10 following the process, within the time it takes to read all the questions. Now, that instruction might seem controversial, but it really isn't. If you have the time, its a good idea to read content well, before dealing with it further.
- compiler-guy 6y ago
  So, after you have read all of the instructions, why follow the instruction in question 10 instead of starting at the beginning? I suppose you are saying that no one ever told you to actually take the quiz, but that is pretty stupid if you follow that in every other situation. It's a set up, designed to make people look stupid.
  - Fnoord 6y ago
    The lesson is that sometimes patience pays off. If I have the time (and I don't like to stress myself), I always have an overview of the whole picture, in this case the questions. For example, if I have to sign a document, I first read it through once, and then another time to act. It might seem like lost time, but actually you have a much better understanding of the content.