Gaming the System
Part of my usual morning routine is perusing some of the more popular news and information portals for interesting tidbits and unique approaches to the market. With coffee in hand and eyes a bit bleary, this is my way of staying connected to the community at large. As such, I’m a rabid consumer of data and enjoy reading about the successes of others. However, one thing I’m getting a bit concerned with is the growing number of self-described “aptitude”, “readiness” and/or “personality” quizzes that claim some scientific basis in primary research.
Today’s example comes from the Jobs section of Fortune Online. Go ahead - I’ll wait why you open another window. Scroll down and look toward the bottom left for the Quizzes section. With titles like What kind of manager are you? and What’s your EQ at work?, it’s tempting to test oneself. As you dive a level deeper, you’ll see a running total which gives you sense of how you’re performing.
This is complete and utter nonsense. These tests should be titled, How well can you read and determine what we want you say?, or perhaps Am I smarter than the person who wrote this?. Despite three painful semesters in aerospace, I’m no rocket scientist, but I can score perfectly on each. How? By gaming the system for the answers that are obviously what the author seeks in making her/his point.
As such, I don’t see the value of these instruments. If you want to get a real sense for positive psychological movements in your work or life, check out providers like Wellcoaches. If you want to learn how to game the system, there is plenty of online fodder to hone your skills.
Let’s keep the conversation (and testing) going.