Other ways of getting at this might include a written critique, an autobiographical essay and, best of all for some positions, a tryout. Tests are only one of as many as 20 parts, when you consider all the interviews that take place. However, they are the most anxiety-ridden for some individuals, and they take a disproportionately large amount of time. At one newspaper, to illustrate the importance they wanted to put on testing, editors who gathered to talk over candidates for a job simply set the test results on an empty chair. Although tests seem like an objective measure, smart editors understand that there are variances in testing comfort from person to person and, for any individual, from day to day.
Some people test above their true abilities, while other people test below.
For those reasons, it is foolish to rely solely on testing. All rights reserved.