COAB and Bennett tests

I just took these two tests, and I am (almost) humiliated to have not done well-enough to "pass." I get to retake sometime soon, TBA. And expect (with reasonable hope) to do much better, especially now that I know what I am up against. That is the crux of this post. Maybe one of those poor souls searching around online for a little guidance will find something to help them. I sure didn't find much, or rather I found too much seeming advice in the wrong direction. Any advice or comments I make are from my own one-time experience. The test questions almost certainly change, although I am given to wonder if they change in type of question as well. These tests are both for industrial machine operator training, but I have read where they are applicable (and taken by) various job categories, from the armed forces to structural engineers. I took both tests today, although I imagine a person might take only one or the other, or maybe combined with other industry-specific tests. THIS PRACTICE TEST HELPED A LOT WITH BENNETT: https://www.google.com/#hl=en&safe=off&tbo=d&biw=1280&bih=695&sclient=psy-ab&q=mechreasoning+sampletest&oq=mechreasoning+sampletest&gs_l=hp.3...1936.11602.0.12671.28.26.2.0.0.0.372.4438.2j16j7j1.26.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.1.yaSIaf2oSQg&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=994d01e560db146b&bpcl=39314241 First thing to know: these tests are timed sharply. With both tests, it is very important to realize you will be in a huge rush to finish on time. I have heard a few different things about that, and they can't all be right. Some have said you should take your time and be sure you are right. Others seem to say that you should go as fast as you can and do as many as possible, even if you don't feel confident, or even a guess. So in the end, I'm not sure how to advise, just to be aware. Bennett test (Bennett Mechanical Comprehension Test): This is about 15 tests (of maybe 4-16 questions) in one, and I think the grades are merged together for the final score. http://creativeorgdesign.com/tests_page.htm?id=45 Categories of questions included: Acoustics, Inertia, Belt Drive, Levers, Center of Gravity, Optics, Centrifugal Force, Planes and Slopes, Electricity, Pulley Systems, Gears, Resolution of Forces, Gravity and Velocity, Shape and Volume, Heat, Structures (such as arches), Hydraulics, and Miscellaneous Let me go thru each one from my experience today: 1- Acoustics - (can horn in a tunnel any louder than normal?) 2- Inertia – (I didn't notice any) 3- Belt Drive - (Belt A turns this way; how does Belt B turn?) 4- Levers – (I didn't notice any) 5- Center of Gravity – (Which loaded crane would tip over easier?) 6- Optics – (How would a pen look if half in water, A,B, or C) 7- Centrifugal Force – (What movement will mud travel when slung off a wheel.) 8- Planes and Slopes – (A winding path vesus a straight incline) 9- Electricity – (Which switch turns on ONLY bulb B. What set-up for 2 battaries is correct?) 10-Pulley Systems – (Does man A pull harder or man B in the same task?) 11- Gears - (If gear A turns this-a-way, which way will gear B turn? And which turns faster? which will have more complete rotations?) 12- Resolution of Forces – (I didn't notice any) 13- Gravity and Velocity – (if you throw a stone horizonally, will it land at the same time as one siply dropped?) 14- Shape and Volume - (What shape has more capacity for volumn, a box or a cylinder of the same width?) 15- Heat- (I didn't notice any) 16- Structures – (What kind of arch is strongest? Which bridge?) 17- Hydraulics – (wish rushing water, will a faster current "push" water up a pipe?) 18- Miscellaneous - (will a helicopter fly on the moon? how do you pull from beside a canal?) I advise everyone to study rudders (ride of a boat on water, shooting a bullet on the moon) I think I did fairly well here, as most of the test questions were "simple" physics and so-called mechanical common sense. However, neither of these tests should be taken for granted. Some of the points that were tricky (for me) were connecting multiple battaries and water pressure (hydraulics) questions. But how pullies work, what turning gears and belt do go eath other, one turning the other at what speed, but it also asked what direction mud slings off a raised bycycle wheel. Ah, that was a cintrifugal force question. COAB (Computer Operator Aptitude Battery): http://creativeorgdesign.com/tests_page.htm?id=63 The COAB is really 3 tests in 1, and each is fairly seperate, although scored together. It requires no prior knowledge or even familiarity with programming, but is rather logical reasoning, ordering of events in sequence, following directions in formating, ability to follow complex procedures (flow charts), and attention to detail. First is sequences, second is formatting, and last is interpreting flow charts. Good (although inexact) Bennett resources: Google: mechreasoning sampletest (look for tlc and bcit.ca) http://www.findthatfile.com/search-46577129-hXML/rss-feed-podcast-download-rss-mechanical-reasoning.rss.htm http://www.personality-and-aptitude-career-tests.com/bennett-mechanical-comprehension-test.html http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=594168 http://89.28.209.150/go/textonly/Experiment_884.html;jsessionid=aZyaYbQ9f3D9 http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/sports-imports/multi-battery-hookup.html

http://www.rverscorner.com/rvmultiplebatterytip.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T7tGosXM58

Good resources for COAB (not exact): http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/tests/computer-test.htm I could not find much help, and most of what I did find was inapplicable, not what was on the test, but there are a lot of Yes or No on the flow charts and I suggest sketching your own flow chart on scrap paper and go aheard and write in the outcomes at each point. It seems like you waste time, but it is quicker in the end. For the formatting, just remember to follow directions, all of them.

Happy Tiw's Day

I learned today that Tuesday comes from the Old English version of Tiw's Day, where Tiw is a Saxon war god. (Maybe THE Saxon war god? I dunno). Apparently, he is better known as the Norse god Tyr. Speaking of Tyr, have you seen this?: http://boardgamegeek.com/image/953922/yggdrasil Sorry, I've been reading a bit about the historical background of the Druids. Oh, that reminds me, don't forget, the festival of Samhain is November 1st I have thought for a while of adding obscure holidays and celebrations to my calender. Well, obscure for my neck of the woods, anyway. Bastille Day on July 14, 1789 (also commemorating F. Scott Fitzgerald) The Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773 (grab a Sam Adams) First Contact Day on April 5, 2063 (the Vulcans land and meet humans) Talk Like a Pirate Day on Sept 19 Do you nominate a poorly appreciated date?

JHW: Stuck in our Part-Time Workers Economy

To continue my ongoing Job Hunt Woes series... Please listen to this radio show if you can. It really is a great discussion. http://onpoint.wbur.org/2012/11/15/part-time It calls this a crisis. I agree completely. They also mention that this appears to be a "Chicken or the Egg?" sort of problem. Some people blame the employment scheme in the U.S. for the economy, while some blame the economy for this whole situation. I, myself, blame the ethics in modern America, whether they be business ethics, the ethics of the shoppers, and personal ethics. (I myself sail smoothly above these things ;-) I love their term: "the involuntary part-time workers". This show says less than 25% of Americans have a "normal" job, full-time, M thru Fri, 9-5 More specifically, I blame the prominance of corporations. I have had a theory for a while that corporations are the most unethical of businesses because they do not have accountability for moral decisions. No conscience. A traditional business has an owner who accepts responsibility for ethical decisions, whether the business choices are ethical or not. Imagine the CEO: he or she is responsible to the sharehlders, not their own conscience. On the other side, the shareholders do not consider themselves accountable, because they aren't involved directly in decisions. Irnoically, this broadcast came along soon after a (very good!) Climate Change discussion on NPR about that worldwide looming crisis, and saying how our day-to-day focus prevents us seeing the big picture of how dire the situation is. http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2012/11/15/wen-stephenson-climate I am very lucky. I have a respite from this madness for myself, while I draw unemployment (which is another blog in itself: most people seem to be misinformed about it; they are giving you YOUR money back that they extracted from your employer)

JHW: How much land does a man need?

Job Hunt Woes are never far away, but sometimes appear in a different guise. Sometimes they are not even woes, but moments of success. Right now, my woes resemble more confusion and uncertainty, although to be honest I've had a lot more success lately than I am accustomed to. Back in high school, I was forced to read many things, but a few were actually good experiences, and that includes a certain thoughtful Russian short story by Leo Tolstoy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Much_Land_Does_a_Man_Need%3F http://www.online-literature.com/tolstoy/2738/ -spoiler alert- As I seem to remember it, the story is about an ambitious man who wants to be a rich landholder, and talks some indigenous people into selling him land based on how far he can run a circle in a day. He wins a huge tract of land for the purchase price, but the actual price is that he dies from a heart attack (or somesuch). How much land does a man need? About six feet. I've been thinking about that moral a lot lately. I'm at a bit of a crossroads, here. Life is too short, and better to know when to quit while you are ahead.

Have you read 'Atlas Shrugged'?

I haven't, but I have heard A LOT about it. The American news landscape is full of Ayn Rind (spelling to come). I don't know all that much about this ideology directly, but indirectly I have some impressions, and apparantly it preaches about "The Virtue of Selfishness" and the evils of a "Culture of Dependancy" among the needy. I just want to say I recognize many similarities with Confucianism. Wikipedia calls it a "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" in it's original form, although it is often considered a religion these days. The Confusian inverse Golden Rule ("Do NOT do unto others what you would NOT have done uno you) seems a close analog to Ayn Rind's socio-economic ideology. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianism I've gotta say, the title is amazing, a full of subtle meaning, but I also must say it's extremely confusing to me. I seems to me the idea of the mythical figure of Atlas shrugging (abadoning his responsibilty of holding the earth on his shoulders) says chaos comes from "shrugging" which is quite at odds with what I am given to undertand this is all about.

movies seen recently

Let's see...Cowboys Versus Aliens Kung Fu Panda 2 (?) Expendables 2 Watch (Ben Stiller) The Good Girl http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucianism

First blog post from my first wifi laptop! /Opar

Okay, the wifi thing is cool and occupies many of my thoughts (although nowhere near as many as my girlfriend) but that's not quite what I intend to blog about today. But the fact I can blog today is very much made possible because of wifi ;-) I have found it very hard to manage much reading time while working so many hours, not to mention all the other things. Time wth my girlfriend takes priority, and then social activities and board games and such. And I try and fit the Daily Show (and Colbert Report) in there, too. Actually, I get to see Jon Stewart pretty regularly at this moment in my life, because I live part-time in a motel, with cable, and it is about the only favor granted me by my cellmate...er, roommate. Anyway, I have finished part of the omnibus I've been reading, Gods of Opar. I have been very happy, despite moments of displeasure. But that's the worst critism I have: not the way I would have preferred things. Anyway, I finished Flight to Opar, which impressed me. The biggest thing that I carry with me is the suprise that the story wasn't finished when i settled down for a conclusion. In true pulp fashion, every time you thought the jig was up, it was only one more step in the story. Specifically, and I am going to warn you of a minor spoiler here, the last few chapters introduced new villians, heroes, powerplay/politics, and reasons for jeapardy. Sadly, and again in true pulp fashion, many of the human realities of personal dynamics are overlooked. Most notably I refer to the (spoilers!) romance between the protagonist and Lalila. Well, more the marriage than the romance. How does Hadon feel about her already having a child, and being an instant father? How does he feel about his adopted daughter? How does he adjust to his wife's undoubted cultural habits? Lalila is from an "uncivilized" culture, after all. Are there no stresses in the marriage? Maybe Hadon is too proud, too manly to speak of such private matters. But I can't imagine they aren't thought about. I have decided it is proper I finish Flight before The Song of Kwasain, the thrid and final novel in the omnibus. I have thuroughly enjoyed Kwasain. My main criticism is a big one, and I think it falls to the main writer, Carey (long story about the collaboration). The protagonist, Kwasain, should be an anti-hero. He is perfectly suited to it. In the original two books, he is treated as a egotistical brute. A boarish braggart. Perhaps even laughing at his own cruelty. I recall him laughing at the barbarian women he had raped who hadn't been able to walk immediately afterwards. In Song, he is a different man. Still a disrespectful braggart and thinks with his naughty parts, but too much of a hero for the sake of faithfulness. Maybe I am too critical. In other news, my "temporary job" won't last too much longer, at whcih point I will be (hopefully) again on unemployment and searching for renewed employment. I have not made much progress in my readings since my last blog post. Also, and this is not quite a new sentiment, but I need to make a Job Hunt Woes post on the sentiment "Life is too short for..." referring to my current well-paid, poorly-lived job.