Smart People Tend to "Choke" More

[ethics]

People perceived as the most likely to succeed might also be the most likely to crumble under pressure. A <a href="http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/050209_under_pressure.html">new study</a> finds that individuals with high working-memory capacity, which normally allows them to excel, crack under pressure and do worse on simple exams than when allowed to work with no constraints. Those with less capacity score low, too, but they tend not to be affected by pressure.

I was never a fan of tests (unless it was a physical one) and this is the biggest reason why:

Since working memory is known to predict many higher-level brain functions, the research calls into question the ability of high-pressure tests such as the SAT, GRE, LSAT, and MCAT to accurately gauge who will succeed in future academic endeavors.

Meaning that the ones that score the highest on tests are not necessarily the smartest, the best.

[tke711]

I would have to agree. There are different types of intelligence, and just because one does well on a standardized test does not mean they will succeed at other endeavors.

[Fiona]

so, I'm like the opposite of that... I do well on tests, I don't crumble under pressure ... but... :nut: well the evidence speaks for itself :P

[ShinyTop]

I feel the same way about degrees. I think testing is still needed but only a fool would defend it as always accurate. What will you replace it with?

[ethics]

The lack of a good answer to that question is what is prolonging the testing method.

[Coriolis]

The lack of a good answer to that question is what is prolonging the testing method.
The answer is relatively straight forward, but the solution is impractical.

I've taught many courses (and even taken a few) where there were no tests. Students were marked based on participation in class discussions (or for small group or even one-on-one discussions), and demonstration of knowledge and understanding of the material on assignments, labs and projects. It's a hell of a lot more work for the instructor compaired to simply grading tests.

But because a test is just so much easier to implement and grade, you'll never likely see the GMAT, LSAT, MCAT, etc. formats change.