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defining features of Tests: 1. grading is determined by some Authority. Passing is defined by what someone or some group decided passing should be. by this frame, something like "surviving for 30 days in the wilderness after a plane crash" is not a Test
2 makes me think about how Tests remove you from having to figure out what matters. "good" is clearly defined, and you ask what will get me a higher score. 1 makes it easier for me to see that most things that one might want aren't Test like
"winning" or "success" should be terms that get slapped onto "whatever getting what you wanted/needed" ends up looking like. but with Tests, "winning" is the title given to scoring the most points, and it's assumed that of course you want that
jumping to another property 3) cut-offs are arbitrary relates to how Tests often exist because they are used as tools to decide who gets what. does that one point difference between Passing and Failing say much meaningful about whatever the Test is supposed to be measuring? no
okay, a thing I'm trying to get at simulatenously is that the value system a Test shoves in front of you both Is Not Yours, and Is Not Real Is Not Yours is obvious from "authorities decided what is good" but Is Not Real also comes from the fact a Test comes from authrotiy
or more, it's because an authority has to be able to grade the test. it's not just "don't be someone else, that's inauthentic" it's "you CANT even be someone else, you can only be a shadow of someone else, a fate worse than death"
think about company culture. It can be a real think, and something that you absorb after months/years working at a well gardened company but a Test can't capture that. the value system a Test can give you will only be a shadow of culture, the easy to grade surface level shit
The primary reason I'd advise against conformity is not because "being anything other than yourself is bad". It's that most molds you will be given to conform to are simpler than any real human, and you will be squashed, crushed, and hurt in the act of conforming
diff angle: Tests are supposed to be about [thing you care about], and the fact that they are defined by Authority undermines this connection to various degrees. It's easy to not notice this, because Tests do guarantee* something else you care about; Praise and Clout
The Desire To Pass Tests teaches you to always look for the rubric, and then dwell on how to score the highest. This training carries over into the rest of life. You want to Do Things Right so you hunt for the grading rubric for life
Tests: what matters is the score. I know the score is what matters because that is what I'm praised and rewarded for. I will do what I need to get the score. How is this graded? Cool. What's the best way to hack this test and get a good score? Cramming? Cool.