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Subject:Re: A Test to Select Competent technical Writers From:"Robert W. Jones" <shaka -at- NETCOM -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 2 Mar 1995 14:31:41 -0800
Mr. Dubin are you a test expert? Any lawyer worth his or her salt would
eat you alive in court. Do you have any professional training in test
theory, practices and methodolgies? Do you have any academic training in
such a science? Have you published any such papers in said science? Are
you aware of the Federal laws and regulations regarding preemployment
testing?
Too many writers want to play experts in subjects that should be left to
other experts. You would have to show test results (maybe over several
years) and your hiring/application procedure under the light of the court
process. This is what test and wanna be experts face evry day in court.
This is why so many test/cases are settled out of court.
On Thu, 2 Mar 1995, David Dubin wrote:
> I devised a simple test for applicants to our positions. It follows below:
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> ----------------------------------------------------
> Situation:
> Your department has purchased a new computer for a new staff member who has
> some knowledge of personal computers. This personal computer consists of a
> monitor, keyboard, mouse, and CPU unit. All these components are packaged
> together in one single box, along with the instructions and warranty.
> Requirement:
> You are to write documentation for the new staff member to explain how to set
> this personal computer up for the first time and to test its operation. Us
> all the space on the following pages. You will have five minutes for this
> exercise.
> This exercise is designed to test the writer's ability to understand the
> assignment, organize the information, and present it in a logical order. The
> time frame is short so that we can see how the writer operates under pressure.
> David Dubin -at- notes -dot- pw -dot- com@Internet