# Looking for interesting examination/test challenges. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 28, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-interesting-examination-test-challenges/580061 "2011-04-28T17:49:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-interesting-examination-test-challenges/580061/1 "2011-04-28T17:49:21Z")
I’ve asked about examinations here before, but this is a more general question. I’m a software developer, with a high school diploma and a BS. I’m interested in standalone (or batteries thereof) examinations that I can take for a challenge, or just for shits and giggles. The examinations could be anything from exams for academic credit, professional certification exams, psychological batteries, to exams I can take for nothing other than shits and giggles and something silly to break the ice on dates. I’m looking for things other than CLEP, standardized admission exams like the SAT, ACT, GRE, MAT, MCAT, etc. and IT Certifications, and am excluding things like Bar exams where I can’t just show up and take the test but have to qualify. Exams that I qualify for with my background would be ok, though. Also, the exam has to be reasonably standardized and institutionalized, the “[Henry2334@aol.com](mailto:Henry2334@aol.com)’s ‘Does My Sister Like You’ Exam” doesn’t count, nor do uncontrolled online polls or exams that don’t keep records or issue certificates (e.g. those mini-IQ tests you sometimes bump into, or random 20 question trivia tests that random people online set up) ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2011, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-interesting-examination-test-challenges/580061/2 "2011-04-28T19:06:24Z")
You could take a lower-level actuarial exam. I don’t know why you’d want to, though. ---
**Author:** ![Mongo\_Ponton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Mongo\_Ponton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mongo_Ponton)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-interesting-examination-test-challenges/580061/3 "2011-04-29T04:55:17Z")
Here are a few. [http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/current\_students/programme\_resources/lse/exam\_archive/exam\_papers\_2010.shtml](http://www.londoninternational.ac.uk/current_students/programme_resources/lse/exam_archive/exam_papers_2010.shtml) There is also a link to answers on that page. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-interesting-examination-test-challenges/580061/4 "2011-04-29T15:37:54Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > You could take a lower-level actuarial exam. I don’t know why you’d want to, though. Because you and I can both warn him, if he thinks that will “break the ice on dates”, he’s sadly mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2011, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-interesting-examination-test-challenges/580061/5 "2011-04-29T16:05:18Z")
You could take this challenge, which I gave to my students last week (they all failed): take a piece of 8.5 x 11 paper, and cut a hole in it that’s big enough to walk through. Not exactly what you’re looking for, but it’s a fun challenge anyway.