Any one of you have ever gotten a perfect score in a test or exam?

[Baruch]

I am 55 and in school now. It's not any easier. But of course that depends on the institution.

Good for you!  Last credit course (other than work certification) was when I was 44.  Finished my Masters when I was 30.  I can feel my mental gears slipping more every year.  I work hard every day on mental tasks (not so much from work these days) to keep from slipping too much ;-)

[SGOS]

Yes, your father was an asshole.  Sorry about that.  My father didn't finish HS, so he never complained about my poor grades.

Yeah, but my father never finished HS either.  And when I was hired by a university, he pissed on that too.  Yet he wanted me to go to college.  WTF?  Maybe so he could brag to the guys he worked with?  Eventually, I learned to disregard him, which eventually ended in severed relations.

[Mermaid]

Good for you!  Last credit course (other than work certification) was when I was 44.  Finished my Masters when I was 30.  I can feel my mental gears slipping more every year.  I work hard every day on mental tasks (not so much from work these days) to keep from slipping too much ;-)

Same here and this was a huge source of anxiety for me, but it's all still in there. I got my MS when I was 46 and then recently was accepted into an ivy league school. Something I never would have dreamed was possible. The lesson here is that the more mature you get, the better you can apply yourself. The Real World is much harder than college.

[Baruch]

Yeah, but my father never finished HS either.  And when I was hired by a university, he pissed on that too.  Yet he wanted me to go to college.  WTF?  Maybe so he could brag to the guys he worked with?  Eventually, I learned to disregard him, which eventually ended in severed relations.

My dad and I could play checkers.  He tried to learn chess when I was in HS, but learned he couldn't play it.  I have never been a good chess player.  At least we were on par with checkers.  My dad had an inferiority complex, probably exacerbated by inability to spell.  But he was a good man in spite of his problems (alcoholism).  He was worried that we were being dissed, when I was trying to get into a college fraternity ... because he thought it was all about who your father was, and some probably are ... but I got in anyway.  I was able to take what I liked about him, and about my grandfathers as well, and ignore the rest.  I miss him every day.  And there are always historical and fictional men worth idealizing.  I idealize personality types more than policies.

[Mike Cl]

I bought a book in a book store with a jacket that promised an understanding of machine language.  I got nothing out of it.  It might as well have been written in ancient Babylonian.

I'm still not sure what it was even with that course under my belt!

[Baruch]

I'm still not sure what it was even with that course under my belt!

Really?  I didn't realize you took any computer courses.  As old as we are, it was probably written in Ancient Abacus ;-))

I have only touched on machine language, errr ... assembly language ... in simplified computer architecture (toy) models.  It is really firmware engineering.

[Baruch]

I bought a book in a book store with a jacket that promised an understanding of machine language.  I got nothing out of it.  It might as well have been written in ancient Babylonian.

Elementary my dear scribe ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrus_Cylinder#/media/File:Cyrus_cylinder_extract.png

Per Von Daniken, that is probably a program for an early version of Seri ;-)

[Mike Cl]

Really?  I didn't realize you took any computer courses.  As old as we are, it was probably written in Ancient Abacus ;-))

I have only touched on machine language, errr ... assembly language ... in simplified computer architecture (toy) models.  It is really firmware engineering.

I have a computer science degree (AA) from a Jr. College.  I took Fortran,  Basic one other language--but this was in the early '70's because I could use my GI Bill, but I had to change my major from history to something else--computer sci. it was. 

[aitm]

Many times.....alas....nothing much was gained from them.

[Cavebear]

Oddly, I too remember econ with misgivings.  I loved the text, and studied hard for the midterm.  There was one question worth 40% of the test that was a math problem.  I had no clue as to what the problem was, how to solve it, or what lecture or part of the text it came from.  I failed the midterm... along with the rest of the class except for one guy, a graduate student, I think, who was able to do the problem.

So the professor gave a second midterm, which would replace the grade of the first midterm, and I failed that one too... along with the rest of the class, except for that other guy.

I continued to study the text and listen to the lectures, as the subject was truly interesting, but when it came time for the final, I opted not to study for it, and put all my time into three other 5 credit courses where I knew I would do well.  So without any review on my part, the final came, and it was just a regular final with no mysterious problem to solve that was worth 40% of the test.  I got a B and kicked myself for not studying for the final.

I had a good quarter as I aced the other finals, but missed the 4.0 point average that I could have had.  I got a 3.8 something because econ was only a three credit course.  I was home for Christmas when the report card was mailed home, and I proudly showed it to my father.  His reaction was, "Well that looks OK, except for that B."  But I could never please my father, and never got used to it.  He was an asshole.  Seriously, he was always an asshole, so it shouldn't have pissed me off, but it did.

I feel for you completely!  Some professors write tests to test general knowledge, some write them to filter out only the idiots, and some write them to find the geniuses.  Sounds like you had the last kind and he slipped up on the last test.  LOL! 

BTW, I arranged my University account so that only I received my grade reports.   

[Baruch]

I have a computer science degree (AA) from a Jr. College.  I took Fortran,  Basic one other language--but this was in the early '70's because I could use my GI Bill, but I had to change my major from history to something else--computer sci. it was.

Fortran ... a real computer language ;-)

[Baruch]

I feel for you completely!  Some professors write tests to test general knowledge, some write them to filter out only the idiots, and some write them to find the geniuses.  Sounds like you had the last kind and he slipped up on the last test.  LOL! 

BTW, I arranged my University account so that only I received my grade reports.   

So you have the skill to forward DNC files to the Russians then?

[Cavebear]

So you have the skill to forward DNC files to the Russians then?

Where do you come up with this kind of bloviating nonsense?  I filled out a University form and gave them the address of a friend who had an apartment.  DUH!

[Baruch]

Where do you come up with this kind of bloviating nonsense?  I filled out a University form and gave them the address of a friend who had an apartment.  DUH!

Old school disinformation ;-)  What motivated you?

[SGOS]

I feel for you completely!  Some professors write tests to test general knowledge, some write them to filter out only the idiots, and some write them to find the geniuses.     

They may be experts in their field, but may not understand the purpose of testing or how to do it.  50 questions in all, but one that is worth 40%?  Miss that one question and you fail?  Also, tests should evaluate what you have taught, not what you haven't taught.  If you want students to know how to do a thing, teach them that thing.  If something is irrelevant enough not to be included in the course objectives or in the lectures, it's probably not relevant enough to include in a test.  You wouldn't test third graders on calculus, especially if you never taught them calculus.

The final almost seemed like he got help from a knowledgeable colleague.  Or maybe he just used someone else's test who taught the same course.   In the professor's defense, he was a good lecturer, explained things well, and was articulate.  I liked going to his class.  He may have been new, and the mid term was the first test he ever put together.  He was sharp enough to recognize at mid quarter, that there was a serious problem, and he fixed it, although I had lost all motivation to study for his tests by then.