6 ms·
This I think is a bit like the "IQ selection" phenomenon, where if we suppose IQ actually measures (say,) test-taking ability rather than some complex notion of
by mjburgess 4y ago
This I think is a bit like the "IQ selection" phenomenon, where if we suppose IQ actually measures (say,) test-taking ability rather than some complex notion of intelligence... then we find places that try to filter on IQ (law schools, med schools, FAANG) end up selecting for uncreative kinds of intelligence.
As a bold, perhaps wrong hypothesis, this might be in play here. We have the very best leet-coders, but the very worst programmers: in that sense of programming Peter-Naur called "theory building". An activity which is perhaps the most comprehensively demanding on the intellect. Not rehearsing the techniques and solutions of others, but innovating oneself in the face of ambiguity and ill-posed problems.
Perhaps the worst sin of IQ-test-like processes is that they use questions with answers to test intelligence -- which if it is anything at all, is what one uses in the face of the lack of questions with answers.
- afiori 4y agoProbably if you filter by raw IQ (either yours or others definition) you would get a lot of imaginative people as most intellectual faculties are positively correlated with each others. On the other hand if it turns out that you are actually filtering by "willingness to take years of testing" then you might get different results
- mjburgess 4y agoI think these correlations are often spurious. Low IQ correlates with poor performance, making it clinically useful. I dont think there's much to be said about >115, other than by filtering on it, you at best reduce the variance in other abilities.
- gedy 4y agoExactly, I'd have no problem taking an IQ test for a role, and usually test high on those. Leet code grinding and interview "preparation" I just have no time and willingness for.
- badpun 4y ago> On the other hand if it turns out that you are actually filtering by "willingness to take years of testing" then you might get different results That's a very useful signal still. Willingness to takes years of testing signals willingness to subjugate oneself to lots of unpleasant crap for money and prestige, which is something FAANGs are happy to see in their workers.
- pyb 4y agoThere's adverse selection at play in FAANG hiring, but I think it goes like this : any ambitious engineer would wants to "make a dent in the universe" is never going to spend months studying LC, system design, or whatever to get into these places. Not only do they prefer building actual projects on evening and weekends ; but they know their time at FAANG would be wasted anyway. In 2022, few people go to big tech because they really want to build things.
- avisser 4y agoIf you want to make a dent, you work somewhere else, build something great, then get bought by FAANG.
- theGnuMe 4y agoThis comes up a lot in the international test score comparisons. You have places like Singapore, Japan and China that dominate the league tables as in the kids get the best test scores, but that does not translate into American style economic creativity. Now maybe all of the American style economic creativity is driven by high IQ immigrants but I don't think that is true. Has anyone studied this? It is constantly referenced.