Can you pass Thomas Edison's Employment test?

vienna · 10-19-11, 01:04 PM

Recent press coverage of the passing of Steve Jobs has taken to declaring Jobs the "new generation" Thomas Edison. (I don't personally agree; I don't feel he ever really invented or created anyting; he mainly adapted existing technology and was a masterful marketing genius; you may now say horrible things about me on your iPhone/iPad...) The coverage and Edison comparisons brought to mind something I read in "Jeopardy" champion Ken Jennings' book "Brainiac" regarding a series of tests created by Thomas Edison to determine the worthiness of job appliants to his labs. Edison had a remarkable memory (near eidetic) and high standards for potential employees. He also had a severe dislike of college graduates and felt their degrees were quite often over-rated. His tests were widely varied in subject matter and he expected a 90% correct answer score. It is said Einstein heard about the tests and, as a lark, took one of them; he failed. The following link is a general overview of the Edison test per the Edison National Park site:

http://www.nps.gov/edis/forteachers/the-edison-test.htm

This site has further information and a link to a May, 1921 New York Times article citing a large number of the questions as givien to the Times by an unsuccessfull (and, apparently, disgruntled) applicant:

http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/view...opic_id=176966

(the Times article as a pdf:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...8ED85F458285F9

So, would you have passed the test?...

10-19-11, 01:04 PM	#1
vienna Navy Seal Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Anywhere but the here & now... Posts: 7,711 Downloads: 85 Uploads: 0	Can you pass Thomas Edison's Employment test? Recent press coverage of the passing of Steve Jobs has taken to declaring Jobs the "new generation" Thomas Edison. (I don't personally agree; I don't feel he ever really invented or created anyting; he mainly adapted existing technology and was a masterful marketing genius; you may now say horrible things about me on your iPhone/iPad...) The coverage and Edison comparisons brought to mind something I read in "Jeopardy" champion Ken Jennings' book "Brainiac" regarding a series of tests created by Thomas Edison to determine the worthiness of job appliants to his labs. Edison had a remarkable memory (near eidetic) and high standards for potential employees. He also had a severe dislike of college graduates and felt their degrees were quite often over-rated. His tests were widely varied in subject matter and he expected a 90% correct answer score. It is said Einstein heard about the tests and, as a lark, took one of them; he failed. The following link is a general overview of the Edison test per the Edison National Park site: http://www.nps.gov/edis/forteachers/the-edison-test.htm This site has further information and a link to a May, 1921 New York Times article citing a large number of the questions as givien to the Times by an unsuccessfull (and, apparently, disgruntled) applicant: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/view...opic_id=176966 (the Times article as a pdf: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive...8ED85F458285F9 So, would you have passed the test?... Last edited by vienna; 10-19-11 at 02:32 PM.