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> This (and most of the other tests described in this thread) seem to
> measure *re-writing* ability. If you are looking for re-writers that's
> fine but I'm not sure how it tests writing ability.
>
> By writing I mean identifying needs and developing original content
> from its primary sources, not reworking existing docs to "make the
> information usable." I"m not sure how to test that kind of analytic
> capability in the time span of a lunch break. Perhaps the best writers
> are the ones who walk out of the test saying "Sorry, not enough info."
Good point. Just because you can rewrite something (edit) doesn't necessarily mean you can write from scratch.
One test I had to take in the past was to document how to drive around the block from where the interview was taking place. I was handed a few sheets of blank paper and left alone for about 20 minutes. Knowing that I only had 20 minutes, how much detail I chose to go into, the assumptions that I made regarding the reader's ability to drive, and how I structured the information were entirely up to me.
I thought that was a brilliant way to test someone's writing abilities. There was no faking your way through that test.
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