Mississippi recently switched over its drivers' license exam from a paper-and-pencil version (which was apparently well-known and photocopied a great deal) to a computerized version which presented questions randomly so that no two would-be drivers see the same test.
And guess what? The percent of Mississipeans failing the general knowledge portion of the test has skyrocketed from 20% to 60%:
Nearly 60 percent of people applying for regular Mississippi drivers licenses have failed the general knowledge test since the state switched to a computerized testing system in December. Only 20 percent failed before, said Rene Morris, state administrator of the Automated Drivers License Testing System.
The passing rate for commercial license applicants declined slightly, from 60 percent to 54 percent. All commercial license tests are now given through computers.
Mississippi was one of 15 states last year to receive automated testing services from Openshaw Media Groups Inc., based in Birmingham, Ala...The touch-screen technology eliminates cheating because the questions on the Mississippi driver-license general knowledge test are randomly chosen from a database of more than 600 questions. This process prevents any two applicants from receiving the same test.
"They don't have cheat sheets anymore," Morris said. "Most people had a copy of every test we handed out or had it memorized."
Guess now they'll have to actually study those little DOT manuals, won't they? Of course, the same problem is happening in other states that use this computerized system, so either (a) the system is flawed, or (b) EVERYBODY's been cheating on the drivers' license exam. I think both options are equally likely.
Posted by kswygert at July 15, 2004 08:35 AM