Validity of assessments

I am inspired to come up with such a technical title, upon receiving my results for a psych module. I got 15.5/20. It is still within the average region though. I also happened to be writing my Biopsych paper.

I was just wondering about the validity of using such assessments to predict a person's ability. Using papers and examinations really do not, in my point of view, determine very much of a person's ability. The best that it can tell is just how well a person can write or think under timed conditions. The work world does require such a skill but the intangible aspects such as attitudes, creative thinking, leadership etc, do not emerge in these assessments.

Everyone around me is busy with the paper chase. Dearie is also striving to be one of the lead runners in the race. So am I, and almost everyone else I know. Ever since JC, I have thought that this is the most meaningless thing to do. Chasing for something is good, if that goal is really what we want. But at the end of the day, I do not want a piece of paper writing First Class honours. I want to be able to help people with my care and knowledge. I am sure many others know too that they do not really want that piece of paper. Its just that the degree facilitates the route to their ultimate self-actualisation.

However, as we do that, we are all subjected to expectations set by others (and we do not even know the biases and intelligence of those people who set these expectations). Requiring Masters to be a psychologist is a safe approach to make sure that people do not go around screwing other's minds. But what about other industries, who rely on your qualifications to promote you. Who go strictly by the book without making exceptions?

This is one of the many times which I have pondered over this issue of the paper chase. Is what we are doing now even worth our time, having to be subjected to other people? The ones who are authorised to assess us and give us grades. They determine our future to some extent, but are they doing a good job assessing us and preparing us in reaching our goal in future?

Again this is one of those Socratic questioning style of ranting. I am just totally sick of having to do things which I find totally useless in my future work life. I am not gonna be writing papers or answering MCQs anymore once I enter the work world.

SG