# Has there ever been a real-life equivalent to the "Kobayashi Maru" test? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 14, 2014, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-real-life-equivalent-to-the-kobayashi-maru-test/686119 "2014-04-14T23:28:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-real-life-equivalent-to-the-kobayashi-maru-test/686119/147 "2024-01-10T03:28:39Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > I’ve always felt that the “Kobayashi Maru” test was an overall test of character. Character meaning how well the cadet emotionally handled the death of his/her crew because of something they themselves had ordered, emotionally delt with the destruction of their own vessel or the destruction of the Kobayashi Maru and it’s crew, or the ridicule from the Klingons, or fellow cadets, for not attempting the rescue. But like the command test where you have to order a holodeck crewmember to their death, isn’t in the back of your mind that it isn’t real? ---
**Author:** ![Guapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@Guapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guapo)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-real-life-equivalent-to-the-kobayashi-maru-test/686119/148 "2024-01-10T15:56:43Z")
Not quite the same, but I once had a final exam in an RPG programming class. We had 90 minutes to write a fairly complex program. After 45 minutes someone handed in their results. I was amazed, as I thought I was quite good at RPG and I was nowhere near complete. Over the next 45 minutes students got up one by one and turned in their results. At the end I was the only one left and turned in a not quite complete program. I was devastated. Not only did it shake my faith in my abilities, but passing the class was a requirement for a promotion. The next week in class the reacher gave out the results. I had the only A. It turned out everyone else had given up. He said that he knew 90 minutes was not enough to complete the task and wanted to see how far we could get. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-real-life-equivalent-to-the-kobayashi-maru-test/686119/149 "2024-01-10T16:07:36Z")
So what was the lesson to be learned there? It’s better to keep plugging away 'til the bitter end? ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-real-life-equivalent-to-the-kobayashi-maru-test/686119/150 "2024-01-10T16:34:56Z")
Is there something wrong with that lesson? ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-real-life-equivalent-to-the-kobayashi-maru-test/686119/151 "2024-01-10T16:35:06Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > So what was the lesson to be learned there? Teachers are assholes. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-real-life-equivalent-to-the-kobayashi-maru-test/686119/152 "2024-01-10T16:49:04Z")
Perhaps the lesson is that you don’t know that there is no chance unless you take _every_ chance there is. The person trying until the bitter end _may_ find a solution, whereas someone who gives up certainly wont. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-real-life-equivalent-to-the-kobayashi-maru-test/686119/153 "2024-01-10T18:24:08Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > So what was the lesson to be learned there? “It’s a feature, not a bug.” ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2024, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-real-life-equivalent-to-the-kobayashi-maru-test/686119/154 "2024-01-10T20:15:47Z")
> [@Guapo](#): > > The next week in class the reacher gave out the results. I had the only A. It turned out everyone else had given up. He said that he knew 90 minutes was not enough to complete the task and wanted to see how far we could get. That inspiring story brought a tear to my eye. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-real-life-equivalent-to-the-kobayashi-maru-test/686119.md?page=7)