Question re "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" Test

[RomanHans]

I tried out for \"WWTBAM?\" a few days ago and failed the test.  I swear, though, I only got four wrong out of thirty.  Does anybody know what the cutoff point is?  They won't tell you, or what your score is, so you don't know how close you are.

I get another try next week but the questions are pretty da$# tough and I'm not sure how much better I can do.

[GS Warehouse]

[quote name=\'RomanHans\' date=\'Jul 31 2003, 09:14 AM\'] I tried out for "WWTBAM?" a few days ago and failed the test.  I swear, though, I only got four wrong out of thirty.  Does anybody know what the cutoff point is?  They won't tell you, or what your score is, so you don't know how close you are. [/quote]
 While I never took a WWTBAM test, I do recall reading in the one of the J! books that a grade of 90% is the pass-fail line (same as a drivers' test) on their test.

[zachhoran]

I thought the J! pass-fail line was 75%(at the time of the two J! books, the Trebek/Barsochhini book and the Eisenerg book, both being published in the early 90s). Maybe it has changed since then.

[Esoteric Eric]

[quote name=\'RomanHans\' date=\'Jul 31 2003, 07:14 AM\']I tried out for \"WWTBAM?\" a few days ago and failed the test.  I swear, though, I only got four wrong out of thirty.  Does anybody know what the cutoff point is?  They won't tell you, or what your score is, so you don't know how close you are.[/quote]

I'm not sure what the cutoff point is (although I passed the test when they held the audition in Seattle, and, IIRC, I missed three questions.) It may even vary, due to the contestant coordinators' capacity for interviewing the highest scorers at a particular audition.

I get another try next week but the questions are pretty da$# tough and I'm not sure how much better I can do.

(Jon Stewart) WWWWHAAAAAAAA?!?!? (rubs eyes) (/js)

How did you manage that?  The usual practice (certainly for J!, not real sure about WWTBAM?) is to limit a prospective contestant to one audition every six months, so that the show can use the same test materials without someone retaking the same test they didn't pass earlier.

Esoteric Eric... Two posts? On a Thursday morning?!? Yeah, took the day off to see the Mariners game this afternoon.

[RomanHans]

> How did you manage that? The usual practice (certainly for J!, not real sure about WWTBAM?) is to limit a prospective contestant to one audition every six months, so that the show can use the same test materials without someone retaking the same test they didn't pass earlier.

Believe it or not, this is from the rules:

> Contestant Applicants must complete a written test within the
> specified time limit and may take the test only once per audition day.

Which is why I signed up for every day.  I've only gotten in twice, though.

Oh, got one other question.  They said they mark you off for a wrong answer.  So does it make sense to guess vs. leaving it blank?

[zachhoran]

I'm sure they count an answer as \"Wrong\" if you leave it blank, so guessing, particularly on a multiple choice test, can't hurt any more than not guessing.

[clemon79]

[quote name=\'RomanHans\' date=\'Jul 31 2003, 09:21 AM\'] Oh, got one other question.  They said they mark you off for a wrong answer.  So does it make sense to guess vs. leaving it blank? [/quote]
 [quote name=\'zachhoran\' date=\'Jul 31 2003,09:25 AM\'] I'm sure they count an answer as \"Wrong\" if you leave it blank, so guessing, particularly on a multiple choice test, can't hurt any more than not guessing.[/quote]

Before making such wholesale assumptions as this, I would want to know what they mean by \"mark you off.\" Do they DEDUCT points from your score for a wrong answer, a la Jeopardy? If so, then I would imagine leaving an answer blank would get you no penalty, or else there would be no point to deducting points. (Of course, you wouldn't EARN points, either...)

If you think about it, too, this would be very much in line with the philosophy behind Millionaire, as well, since much of the strategy of the game is knowing what questions NOT to answer as much as knowing the correct answers.

[GS Warehouse]

[quote name=\'Esoteric Eric\' date=\'Jul 31 2003, 10:39 AM\'] Yeah, took the day off to see the Mariners game this afternoon. [/quote]
 Best chance all season to see an M's win, considering the minor league team who's visiting.

[SplitSecond]

I assure you that contestant coordinators/contestant producers/whatever they call themselves nowadays are not going to create tests for themselves that require much more than tallying up right answers.

Never mind that auditioning anywhere from 30-100 people in a room requires grading 30-100 tests in mere minutes; I would personally rather keep someone who went through the entire test and got 15 out of 30 right, rather than someone who pored over the first 15 questions, got them right, and left the rest blank.

Keep in mind that we're not talking standardized testing here.  Written contestant tests are one of several tools that may be used by producers and contestant coordinators to figure out who has the skill set needed for that particular game.  Passing the test (whatever \"passing\" is, as determined individually by each show, and sometimes within each testing group) does not entitle one to further consideration for a particular show.  On the other hand, there are very rare cases where someone's personality will override their just-shy-of-passing performance on the test and they will continue on.

Again, don't cry foul.  It's casting.  Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer didn't have to pass a test to get their chance on TV.  Though that could be kind of fun.

[Peter Sarrett]

I don't know if they've changed their procedure this year, but when I took the test last year we were explicitly told there was no penalty for guessing.

Note that the tests are administered on Scantron sheets, lso they're graded by machine.  I don't know for certain, but I'd assume that the machines are capable of deducting points for incorrect answers.

  - Peter

[Timsterino]

[quote name=\'RomanHans\' date=\'Jul 31 2003, 09:14 AM\'] I tried out for \"WWTBAM?\" a few days ago and failed the test.  I swear, though, I only got four wrong out of thirty.  Does anybody know what the cutoff point is?  They won't tell you, or what your score is, so you don't know how close you are.

I get another try next week but the questions are pretty da$# tough and I'm not sure how much better I can do. [/quote]
I do not know what the cut off is but I know they base their tests (like Hollywood Squares) on past questions that have appeared on the show. So it is best to watch the show. This way the questions are not new to you.

Back when I took the test it was the fastest finger style test. I know now that they are using regular WWTBAM questions with many in the high $ range.

Good luck on your next test!

Tim :-)

[Dbacksfan12]

[quote name=\'Peter Sarrett\' date=\'Jul 31 2003, 02:37 PM\'] I don't know if they've changed their procedure this year, but when I took the test last year we were explicitly told there was no penalty for guessing.

Note that the tests are administered on Scantron sheets, lso they're graded by machine.  I don't know for certain, but I'd assume that the machines are capable of deducting points for incorrect answers.

  - Peter [/quote]
 Yes; they are.  Sometime I'll scan in a Scantron with points deducted for y'all to see...not from a test mind you; but those little POS machines do have that capability.

[trainman]

[quote name=\'Esoteric Eric\' date=\'Jul 31 2003, 08:39 AM\'] The usual practice (certainly for J!, not real sure about WWTBAM?) is to limit a prospective contestant to one audition every six months, so that the show can use the same test materials without someone retaking the same test they didn't pass earlier. [/quote]
 Just as an aside, J! now only allows prospective contestants to take the test once a year, so they only have to change the test material half as often.  (They project the clues on a video screen while Johnny Gilbert reads them, so making the new test is more involved than with WWTBAM, where it's solely a written test.)