"John W." <worthj1970@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:73fde4f0.0409161058.b46fa48@posting.google.com...
> "necoandjeff" <spam@schrepfer.com> wrote in message
news:<Meh2d.21799$yg4.411@newssvr29.news.prodigy.com>...
> > "Sryn" <sryn@yahoo.DELETETHIS.com> wrote in message
> > news:2qtbv7F13s43pU1@uni-berlin.de...
> > >
> > > "Michael Cash" <mikecash@buggerallspammers.com> wrote in message
> > > news:qutik0dhrbqvov5qoc74t6eik4tv8kjh8c@4ax.com...
> > > > On Thu, 16 Sep 2004 09:49:59 +0900, Brett Robson
> > > > <deep_m_m@hotmail.com> brought down from the Mount tablets
inscribed:
> > > >
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >>Kevin Gowen wrote:
> > > >>>
> > > >>> Yeah yeah yeah. "I'm so smart, I just can't take tests"
> > > >>>
> > > >>> This is the world's smallest violin.
> > > >>>
> > > >>
> > > >>Lucky Newton and Einstein didn't have to take tests.
> > > >
> > > > They didn't?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > >
> > > > Michael Cash
> > > >
> > > > "I am sorry, Mr. Cash, but we are unable to accept your rap sheet in
> >  lieu
> > > > of
> > > > a high school transcript."
> > > >
> > > > Dr. Howard Sprague
> > > > Dean of Admissions
> > > > Mount Pilot College
> > >
> > > If I'm not mistaken, Einstein failed his German College entrance exam
> >  first
> > > (only?) time round.  Don't know anything about Newton, but I think he
> >  might
> > > have lived in a time (England; China had structured exams since their
> > > society became highly civilised, c.f. rest of the world) where 'exams'
> >  were
> > > not that as highly polished and systematic as they are now.
> > >
> > > Then again, this might have been a whoosh.
> >
> > Except that not having to take tests and failing them are two very
different
> > things.
>
> There's nothing wrong with tests, but when the tests are geared
> towards producing a higher score there's a problem. Just like in Japan
> and English tests; I have met folks who came to the US to study and do
> research who had good test scores, but really knew nothing about the
> language and how it's used in daily life.
>
> An interesting aside. Somewhere I read/heard about a survey of youth
> around the world and their perception of how they'll do on math exams;
> Korea ranked on the bottom and the US on top. When the actual results
> were released the roles were reversed.

Says a lot more about confidence (arrogance?) than it does about math
skills...