20 Toughest Interview Questions Heard At Apple, Google and Twitter

[Krenum]

I'm only doing 10.

1. "If you were given a box of pencils, list 10 things you could do with them that are not their traditional use."

Write ten things I hate about this question on those pencils and use them as darts to throw at a picture of you.

2."How would you solve problems if you were from Mars?"

I would "open......my......mind"

3."What's the most creative way you can break a clock?"

Not look at it.

4."If you were a street sign, what would you be?"

One Way

5."A disc is spinning on a spindle, and you don't know which way. You are given a set of pins. Describe how you would use them to determine which way the disc is spinning."

Set the pin on the spindle and determine the direction its spinning through the vibrations on the pin.

6. "There are infinite black and white dots on a plane. Prove that the distance between one black dot and one white dot is one unit."

It's all one unit man.

7. "You have a bag of with "N" number of strings. At random, you pull out a string's end. You pull out another string end and you tie the two together. You repeat this until there are no loose ends left to pull out of the bag. What is the expected number of loops?"

N=1 string. I have 1 loop

8. "Think of a product or service that no one has ever thought of before, one that you think would be revolutionary for your university. How would you market it?"

A machine that randomly generates inane questions. It would take the place of the person previously asking these questions. This machine would also be paid that persons salary and proceeds would be given to charity. It would market itself , obviously.

9."You want to design a phone for deaf people — how do you do it?"

Pen, paper, smartphone camera. Send.

10. "Why should we not hire you?"

Because Integrity.

 

[drakken]

The dwarf one is easy, have the tallest take off his hat and look at it. Or if he can't see it hand it to the person next to him. Since the rules don't prohibit either option. The thing is a lot of companies don't want people who think outside the box they want easily controlled drones so make sure your answers fit the company line unless you know the position they want you to fill goes against company ideology, and even then make sure it is not the first interview.

The black and white one is even easier. One AU is the distance from the Earth the Sun, so the distance from one white to one black in an infinite field could be described as a known distance of a new unit of measure. So the distance is one grey unit of measure.

 

[BallerX]

Clearly, the most creative way to destroy a clock would be to push Flavor Flav off a cliff.

Hire me Google. I think on the outside of the boxes.

 

[kbrickley]

I can see where these creative questions might be useful for certain roles but not all ... generally I am a bigger fan of behavioral interviewing since it gives you better insight into how well a person will function in the company or culture (if the behavioral interviewing is done well)

 

[Exavior]

But you can have an infinite number of points between 0 and 1 that are discontinous (and therefor can't really be defined as a single unbroken line)

For example, take ALL rational numbers (every number that can be represented by a ratio) between 0 and 1. There are infinitely man rational numbers between zero and one. None the less, the set of all rational numbers between 0 and 1 does not contain ALL numbers between zero and 1 (even though it is infinite). For example, sqrt(2)/2 is between 0 and 1, and is not a rational number. In fact, there are cardinally more irrational numbers between 0 and 1 then there are rational numbers. So to say such a set would create a line would not be correct in my opinion. But perhaps you are correct, again, I don't really know since the question doesn't make sense to me.



This one is pretty tough, but I think the answer is:

Summation: from i=0 to N, 1/(2i+1). N is the number of strings. So a bag of 4 strings would have an expected number of 1/1 + 1/3 + 1/5 + 1/7 loops.

Let me know if you get an answer for this one.

Yeah, there are ways to make it so that the answer isn't one. I was just trying to work backwards given that they said the answer should be one, they want you to explain how that could be. Kind of like if you were given 2x = 4 show that x that has to equal 2. sure x could equal any possible value out there, but given that you have the equation and know it that in the end twice X has to equal 4 you are limited down to only a single possible answer. But again I might be looking at it in the wrong light.

the string one is a touch one as you said. Part of it has to do with luck, you could end up with a single loop, or you could some how end up with N loops (assuming N is larger than 1), or you could end up with any number between the two. unless the answer they are looking for is at least 1 but no more than N. Which is a valid answer as the problem doesn't really state that it has to be a single value.

The dwarf one is easy, have the tallest take off his hat and look at it. Or if he can't see it hand it to the person next to him. Since the rules don't prohibit either option. The thing is a lot of companies don't want people who think outside the box they want easily controlled drones so make sure your answers fit the company line unless you know the position they want you to fill goes against company ideology, and even then make sure it is not the first interview.

The black and white one is even easier. One AU is the distance from the Earth the Sun, so the distance from one white to one black in an infinite field could be described as a known distance of a new unit of measure. So the distance is one grey unit of measure.

for the dwarf one given where this job is for, what came to mind for me was a method used for recreating lost packets. Where in addition to sending your own packet you send some extra information to be able to rebuild the last packet if that one didn't get received. So assuming they can't take off their own hat what he could do is just not answer in regards to his own hat color but could give some answer that tells everyone else what their hat color is. that way you only end up with 1 dead dwarf. so something like wwbbwbwbwbb so that the one in front of him knows his hat is black, one in front of him is black, one front of him is white and so on.

but you are also correct in that it doesn't say that they can't take off the hat, just that they can't see their hat.

 

[raz-0]

I got a lot of flack for the IQ part, but I don't understand why.

Because HR and regulations. IQ tests tend to be biased by cultural background and native language. This means they have the possibility of generating a pattern of discrimination even if that wasn't the intent. Bizarre ass questions with no real right answer are much safer and even possibly let you make an end run around banned questions.

For example the previous poster who said "give it to a child and wait." Hmm, sounds like you have kids, you go in the circular bin. Asking if someone is married or has children is a no-no, but look what your special question got you? Was it because you discriminate against people with kids? No, the answer just wasn't creative enough and indicated they'd be a poor cultural fit.

 

[NeghVar]

Microsoft Products:

Presently supported products or present and past?

Microsoft Bob
Microsoft Windows Sound System I had this during Windows 3.1

 

[Ducman69]

Because HR and regulations. IQ tests tend to be biased by cultural background and native language.

There's no test more specifically designed to be unbiased with regard to cultural background and language than the four main IQ tests in global distribution. That is their entire point, and this has been proven time and again. Its also been proven that you cannot significantly increase your IQ score by taking practice tests, other than making yourself more comfortable with taking timed tests in general. In fact, a person's IQ scores will generally peak as a young adult and slowly decline slightly with age, even though the knowledge and expertise they have amassed will increase. The problem with IQ tests are people that don't like the implications of the test as a matter of principle, especially the fact that african-americans tend to score quite poorly as a group average, but that's true of all standardized tests from state level proficiency tests to ACT and SAT tests for college applications, demonstrating it is valid and there is a defficiency in some testing groups that needs to be addressed, not all standardized testing brought into question. The only cultural factors involved in IQ testing are those that are involved in timed testing in genera. For people that come from a culture where time and deadlines are unimportant or who are unmotivated to apply themselves in testing will do poorly, but these type of cultural traits are undesirable in virtually every business environment where time is money and self-motivation to achieve customer driven metrics is crucial.

 

[raz-0]

There's no test more specifically designed to be unbiased with regard to cultural background and language than the four main IQ tests in global distribution. That is their entire point, and this has been proven time and again. Its also been proven that you cannot significantly increase your IQ score by taking practice tests, other than making yourself more comfortable with taking timed tests in general. In fact, a person's IQ scores will generally peak as a young adult and slowly decline slightly with age, even though the knowledge and expertise they have amassed will increase. The problem with IQ tests are people that don't like the implications of the test as a matter of principle, especially the fact that african-americans tend to score quite poorly as a group average, but that's true of all standardized tests from state level proficiency tests to ACT and SAT tests for college applications, demonstrating it is valid and there is a defficiency in some testing groups that needs to be addressed, not all standardized testing brought into question. The only cultural factors involved in IQ testing are those that are involved in timed testing in genera. For people that come from a culture where time and deadlines are unimportant or who are unmotivated to apply themselves in testing will do poorly, but these type of cultural traits are undesirable in virtually every business environment where time is money and self-motivation to achieve customer driven metrics is crucial.

They try to be unbiased, but they aren't. Case in point are "older" people. They often score better on IQ tests from a raw score, but the scoring process often simply deducts for age because you are more likely to have experienced the "novel" questions before and be answering based on knowledge rather than reasoning ability. Which means inherent age discrimination pattern. Any IQ test with written language will be more likely to be navigable faster by native speakers. period.

 

[GaryJohnson]

Oh well, from further discussion I understand the butthurt... people don't mind being told that they are unqualified for the job, after all that could just mean they didn't apply themselves or could study harder or are good at other things. People don't like the implication that they are inherently unintelligent. Most of this could have been avoided had they chosen a different name for the type of test. Ugh.

A good employer/interviewer should be able to evaluate someone's intelligence or general aptitude during the interview much more quickly than they could administer them a test.

I'm going to reject you as an employer if you try to pressure me to jump through too many hoops during the interview. That's not what the interview is for. I'm here to decide if I want the job as much as you're here to decide if you want to hire me. I've already jumped through my hoops; they're enumerated on my resume and shown in my portfolio. Frankly it's insulting to walk in to an interview and be asked to do what amounts to unpaid work to prove your worth because the potential employer assumes you're lying about everything on your resume. That's something, again, that a good interviewer should be able to determine during the interview.

 

[Ducman69]

Case in point are "older" people. They often score better on IQ tests from a raw score, but the scoring process often simply deducts for age because you are more likely to have experienced the "novel" questions before and be answering based on knowledge rather than reasoning ability.

What? Noooo.

This is just as wrong as that BS that "idiot savants" score high on IQ tests, when the opposite is the case. They usually score below "mental retardation" level on IQ tests, in spite of having specific skillsets that make them very proficient at particular tasks. In fact, very low scores on IQ tests combined with an inherent unusual proficiency at something is how savant syndrome is usually diagnosed.

Older people, as I've already stated and you easily could have verified for yourself, score LOWER on IQ tests. Like I've said before, you can't raise your IQ score by a statistically significant margin by going to college or studying for IQ tests. The scores are only adjusted when comparing a particular age group, not a population at large, and the raw score is INCREASED to compensate for the slowing of brain processing with age:

Sorry, but its so frustrating when people base their opinions on complete misinformation.

A good employer/interviewer should be able to evaluate someone's intelligence or general aptitude during the interview much more quickly than they could administer them a test.

Not objectively and consistently nor with sufficient documentation in case of discrimination lawsuit among different interviewers, no. "Gary Johnson sounded smart" vs "Gary Johnson scored highest in the group in the standardized practical field quiz and IQ test, demonstrated a positive attitude, and had X, Y, and Z qualifications on resume 12345 that made him the best fit for the position".

I'm going to reject you as an employer if you try to pressure me to jump through too many hoops during the interview. That's not what the interview is for. I'm here to decide if I want the job as much as you're here to decide if you want to hire me. I've already jumped through my hoops; they're enumerated on my resume and shown in my portfolio. Frankly it's insulting to walk in to an interview and be asked to do what amounts to unpaid work to prove your worth because the potential employer assumes you're lying about everything on your resume. That's something, again, that a good interviewer should be able to determine during the interview.

That's actually a great reason to give the test. I wouldn't hire you, and we've had on average 9 applicants per opening, so someone that doesn't have 30 mins and feels "pressured to work" is probably not the type of person suited for this particular field.

 

[kbrickley]

Sorry, but its so frustrating when people base their opinions on complete misinformation.

Not objectively and consistently nor with sufficient documentation in case of discrimination lawsuit among different interviewers, no. "Gary Johnson sounded smart" vs "Gary Johnson scored highest in the group in the standardized practical field quiz and IQ test, demonstrated a positive attitude, and had X, Y, and Z qualifications on resume 12345 that made him the best fit for the position".

As long as IQ testing is used responsibly ... not all positions depend on IQ ... I have a fairly normal IQ at 136 but it has neither helped me nor hurt me in my career ... for most of the jobs I have applied for (since they were ultimately more project management oriented) they depended far more on my key behavioral skills (problem solving, ability to handle stress, ability to interact across cultural boundaries, ability to communicate, etc) and this is why I generally am a fan of behavioral interviewing ... I can teach an operator or engineer a technical skill they may have missed ... it is much harder to teach them to operate in a high stress environment or to lead cross functional multicultural problem solving teams (if they don't already have a predilection in that area)

 

[Mayson]

For the dwarf one, just have the tallest dwarf say the color of the hat in front of him. You're guaranteed to save every dwarf but one at the minimum.

 

[mope54]

There's no test more specifically designed to be unbiased with regard to cultural background and language than the four main IQ tests in global distribution. That is their entire point, and this has been proven time and again. Its also been proven that you cannot significantly increase your IQ score by taking practice tests, other than making yourself more comfortable with taking timed tests in general. In fact, a person's IQ scores will generally peak as a young adult and slowly decline slightly with age, even though the knowledge and expertise they have amassed will increase. The problem with IQ tests are people that don't like the implications of the test as a matter of principle, especially the fact that african-americans tend to score quite poorly as a group average, but that's true of all standardized tests from state level proficiency tests to ACT and SAT tests for college applications, demonstrating it is valid and there is a defficiency in some testing groups that needs to be addressed, not all standardized testing brought into question. The only cultural factors involved in IQ testing are those that are involved in timed testing in genera. For people that come from a culture where time and deadlines are unimportant or who are unmotivated to apply themselves in testing will do poorly, but these type of cultural traits are undesirable in virtually every business environment where time is money and self-motivation to achieve customer driven metrics is crucial.

now you're just talking out your ass. there isn't any research to support the claims you're making here and you rejected the research you couldn't understand that someone posted earlier.

you can keep arguing this point but here are the "objective" facts as you like to use that word: you're getting pushback at work when you proposed that IQ tests be used, then you think you've developed some special IQ tests that don't succumb to known deficiencies during testing, and a number of people here are telling you that you're wrong. Either you're the only one who "gets it" or everyone else is seems to have it correct and you're just *not* getting it. now that you've gone off the rails claiming that black workers just come from a bad values and work ethics culture hence score poorly on IQ tests I feel fairly confident that you're just spouting bullshit.

 

[serpretetsky]

the string one is a touch one as you said. Part of it has to do with luck, you could end up with a single loop, or you could some how end up with N loops (assuming N is larger than 1), or you could end up with any number between the two. unless the answer they are looking for is at least 1 but no more than N. Which is a valid answer as the problem doesn't really state that it has to be a single value.

That question is tough, however it's fairly well defined.

Expected value is a probability concept. Expected value basically means this: If you rerun the test an infinite number of times what is the average value of the random variable you are measuring.

So for example, if you take a coin and assign the following values: heads=1 tails=0, then you expect the value of a coin flip to 0.5.

 

[jimmyb]

I wouldn't hire you, and we've had on average 9 applicants per opening, so someone that doesn't have 30 mins and feels "pressured to work" is probably not the type of person suited for this particular field.

What field is that?

 

[spugnor]

"Do you believe in a higher power?"

Really? For a Pepsi merchandiser?

The answer to that question doesn't have to deal with religion. For example, your boss is a higher power than you. Just saying "higher power" does not necessarily equate to a god figure.

 

[wabbitseason]

Those questions are a bunch of bullshit. Most of them don't even test problem solving. Perfect for working at a new-age "tech" company like Twitter or Facebook, though.

 

[wabbitseason]

Because HR and regulations. IQ tests tend to be biased by cultural background and native language.

I hear this argument all the time and I think it's nonsense. What kind of questions are there on IQ tests? Spacial reasoning, math, etc. You look at some shapes filled with various colors and discern the pattern. You look at a sequence of numbers and see how they're related. What the heck does that have to do with "cultural background and native language"? It isn't a grammar test, and the questions are easy to understand with basic English. It tests reasoning, not some biased western-only worldview.

Now the validity of using IQ tests to screen prospective employees is definitely debateable. Depending on field, any IQ above some threshold is wasted and shouldn't be considered.

 

[jimmyb]

Those questions are a bunch of bullshit. Most of them don't even test problem solving. Perfect for working at a new-age "tech" company like Twitter or Facebook, though.

These questions are from companies such as: Google, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, AIG, Tesla.

They are some of the most highly paid and sought after jobs in tech. I'm sure you know better than them though.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

I hear this argument all the time and I think it's nonsense. What kind of questions are there on IQ tests? Spacial reasoning, math, etc. You look at some shapes filled with various colors and discern the pattern. You look at a sequence of numbers and see how they're related. What the heck does that have to do with "cultural background and native language"? It isn't a grammar test, and the questions are easy to understand with basic English. It tests reasoning, not some biased western-only worldview.

Basic words you take for granted like "circle," "square," "zero," "seventeen," "blue," and so on are, in fact, cultural constructs. Yes, they are basic, yes, they can be defined quantitatively/objectively, but you still have to be familiar with them as concepts. We just consider them basic because even stupid people can typically learn that a square is a shape with four sides of equal length. You still have to learn that, though.

There are people who speak languages that reduce math to "absent," "one," and "more than one." It's hard to recognize the pattern in "2, 4, 6, 8, 10" if you've never thought of a plurality in terms of a continuous scale. There are other people who speak languages that have many words that mean "green" but none that mean "black." It's hard to recognize a pattern of "black, green, black, yellow, black, red" when black, to you, is an undefined variable.

If you want references, I'll dig them up, otherwise, consider my PhD in anthropology sufficient argument from authority.

 

[mope54]

I hear this argument all the time and I think it's nonsense. What kind of questions are there on IQ tests? Spacial reasoning, math, etc. You look at some shapes filled with various colors and discern the pattern. You look at a sequence of numbers and see how they're related. What the heck does that have to do with "cultural background and native language"? It isn't a grammar test, and the questions are easy to understand with basic English. It tests reasoning, not some biased western-only worldview.

Now the validity of using IQ tests to screen prospective employees is definitely debateable. Depending on field, any IQ above some threshold is wasted and shouldn't be considered.

You answered your own question: if you are testing whether people can recognize spatial relationships then an IQ test with various spatially related objects might allow you to "test" whether someone is adept at manipulating those objects.

If, on the other hand, those types of relationships aren't part of the child's or adult's background, then you aren't testing much of anything of value. You even used phrases like "basic English" and "reasoning..."not some biased western-only worldview [sic]" without acknowledging both of those are highly subjective criteria. In fact, the "reasoning" employed is precisely Western in origin so why would you just disregard that as an essential element of the test?

Not only that, but the very fact that they not only fail to test "intelligence" but are routinely criticized for failing to test the things that matter for the job (unless you are applying for some odd job where reorganizing blocks matter...maybe relevant for a 1950's switchboard operator? laying floor tiles? calculating telephone pole layouts? where exactly do you envision this sort of skill set being relevant?) it begs the question of why someone would argue for its use if not to simply have an "objective" excuse for denying certain applicants from the pool. Ducman stated as much in his earlier replies so there's not much more to see here, truth be told.

 

[Ducman69]

now you're just talking out your ass. there isn't any research to support the claims you're making here and you rejected the research you couldn't understand that someone posted earlier.

I linked to it, and you can very easily verify that yourself in a tenth the time it took you to write that sentence from a two second google search. People's IQ scores decline as they age, the opposite of what is claimed that their IQ scores have to be adjusted DOWN which is so full of shit as to demonstrate absolutely NO knowledge of IQ testing practices.

you can keep arguing this point but here are the "objective" facts as you like to use that word: you're getting pushback at work when you proposed that IQ tests be used, then you think you've developed some special IQ tests that don't succumb to known deficiencies during testing, and a number of people here are telling you that you're wrong.

I have developed an IQ test? Thanks, I didn't realize I did that. Where did I put it? I'm proposing using a common IQ test administered to millions around the world, not creating my own. And, no, a number of people here don't like the concept of an intelligence test, have never taken one, and have proven that they, like you, absolutely don't know what they are talking about... but the very IDEA of it bothers them, just like the parents that insist on abolishing standardized testing in schools. IQ tests are not something I invented nor are represent some new unproven voodoo science, they are a standardized test that have been administered to millions across the world for longer than I have been alive. Why put up this farce that you are debating the specific testing methods when you have not ONCE cited a specific IQ test as an example? You don't like the idea of someone having inherently greater mental faculties.

 

[Ducman69]

Basic words you take for granted like "circle," "square," "zero," "seventeen," "blue," and so on are, in fact, cultural constructs. Yes, they are basic, yes, they can be defined quantitatively/objectively, but you still have to be familiar with them as concepts.

And someone unable to grasp such basic concepts, regardless of the reason for the retardation of their mental development as a child, have demonstrated a quantifiable and significant mental deficiency through the test. That is the entire point of using the test as a measurement, so it has succeeded accordingly. If you wish to propose that there are cultures that breed idiots out of ignorance and lack of mental stimulation and exposure to even the most basic concepts as "blue" or "circle" or "seventeen", that's all fine and dandy, but the IQ test allows you to quantify and identify such a mental shortcoming. And yes, we have known for ages now that a child that is abused and locked in a closet or basement in their youth and not mentally stimulated will greatly diminish their mental capacity as adults, and we can test for that. In the context of a job interview though, we are never looking at such extremes of the spectrum, and are simply differentiating between applicants that may tie on a subject matter field quiz, but differ on other testing that demonstrates a higher probability of being able to learn new skills and adapt to evolving business needs quickly.

 

[Exavior]

That question is tough, however it's fairly well defined.

Expected value is a probability concept. Expected value basically means this: If you rerun the test an infinite number of times what is the average value of the random variable you are measuring.

So for example, if you take a coin and assign the following values: heads=1 tails=0, then you expect the value of a coin flip to 0.5.

I am not sure that really applies here. The question isn't the expected value but the expected number of loops. To me that doesn't mean the probability of a certain number, but they are asking for the actual number of loops you will get. Just like if I asked you if I flip a coin which side will face up is asking heads or tails and not what is the probability of it landing heads up or tails up. which you are correct the expected value of a coin flip would be .5 and in this case would be 1 / n when looking at this string. However given that they ask "what is the expected number of loops?", I wouldn't take that as wanting 1/n as the answer. That said I don't deal with probability on a daily basis so to somebody that does maybe that sentence has a different meaning.

 

[serpretetsky]

I am not sure that really applies here. The question isn't the expected value but the expected number of loops. To me that doesn't mean the probability of a certain number, but they are asking for the actual number of loops you will get. Just like if I asked you if I flip a coin which side will face up is asking heads or tails and not what is the probability of it landing heads up or tails up. which you are correct the expected value of a coin flip would be .5 and in this case would be 1 / n when looking at this string. However given that they ask "what is the expected number of loops?", I wouldn't take that as wanting 1/n as the answer. That said I don't deal with probability on a daily basis so to somebody that does maybe that sentence has a different meaning.

I feel VERY confident that they are asking exactly what I said. Also, expected values are not probabilities, they are the average value you would expect to get after many runs. I suppose if you think they want an actual whole number you can round up or round down from my answer (assuming it is correct), but again, expected values are pretty well defined in probability and statistics.

 

[jojo69]

dafuq?

 

[serpretetsky]

dafuq?

the question figure should be a complete square, but it is missing a 3-unit piece. Which 3 unit piece is it missing?

 

[Disposed]

Seriously these are just as stupid as the guy that keeps defending trying to make an iq test part of his interview process. Unless you're hiring people to take iq tests it don't mean what you think it does but keep on defending that shit because it's funny. There's a reason you where shot down.

 

[Grahamkracka]

For what it's worth. I was asked to engineer/design something, on the spot, on the whiteboard in the conference room I was being interviewed in. For 2 goddamn hours I was drawing and deriving on that whiteboard, and then had to answer questions about it. That was the hardest technical interview I've experienced, but I think it's a pretty good test of see what you are dealing with when it comes to a candidates intelligence and thought process. Much more information can be gleaned from that when compared to an IQ test IMO.

 

[Grahamkracka]

For what it's worth. I was asked to engineer/design something, on the spot, on the whiteboard in the conference room I was being interviewed in. For 2 goddamn hours I was drawing and deriving on that whiteboard, and then had to answer questions about it. That was the hardest technical interview I've experienced, but I think it's a pretty good test of see what you are dealing with when it comes to a candidates intelligence and thought process. Much more information can be gleaned from that when compared to an IQ test IMO.

This is with my current job btw.

 

[jimmyb]

If I was given an IQ test in a job interview, I would seriously question the technical competence of the employer and whether I wanted to work there.

 

[Neurofreeze]

Anyone that doesn't know how to do this is sad, people getting paid minimum wage at pizza hut know how to cut a circle into 8 piece. they might not be the best a making them equal, but they know how to cut the 8 pieces. .

That one is actually transcribed poorly.

The actual question, or at least the original riddle, is, "How do you cut a circular cake into eight equal pieces with only three cuts?"

Still one of the easiest questions of the bunch, but the way the article worded it made it sound absolutely trivial.

 

[Grahamkracka]

No, that is the fallacy. A brain which has been previously been exposed to that specific type of question would recognize the answer in seconds. It is still possible to, both, have a "well developed" (?) brain, and not understand the answer to any specific abstract question.

The problem has to do with pattern recognition. Our entire breadth of human knowledge the result of pattern recognition. It has nothing to do with whether or not someone has been exposed to this type of question, because everyone has been exposed this type of question/problem in some way or another! It's the one quality that we all share and why our brains work the way they do. Testing one's ability to utilize pattern recognition is an accurate measure of intelligence, which is why it's standard IQ test material.

 

[Grahamkracka]

These questions are from companies such as: Google, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, AIG, Tesla.

They are some of the most highly paid and sought after jobs in tech. I'm sure you know better than them though.

In my experience Tesla isn't a big offender in this regard. I interviewed with them earlier this winter/spring. The HR interviews were pretty straightforward and nothing too random. However the technical interview was tough...really tough. The questions were mostly outside my main fields of expertise though.

 

[mope54]

IQ tests are not something I invented nor are represent some new unproven voodoo science, they are a standardized test that have been administered to millions across the world for longer than I have been alive. Why put up this farce that you are debating the specific testing methods when you have not ONCE cited a specific IQ test as an example? You don't like the idea of someone having inherently greater mental faculties.

I think the real question is why you, a mid-level manager at best, continue to argue against your entire upper management and at least two people with doctoral degrees in social sciences.

Nearly everything you write is nonsense that you misinterpreted from something you read online or flat out just don't even know about. It's slightly humorous but when you start to conflate your drivel with racism it's more than a little annoying or I wouldn't even bother to respond to you.

 

[Grahamkracka]

I think the real question is why you, a mid-level manager at best, continue to argue against your entire upper management and at least two people with doctoral degrees in social sciences.

Nearly everything you write is nonsense that you misinterpreted from something you read online or flat out just don't even know about. It's slightly humorous but when you start to conflate your drivel with racism it's more than a little annoying or I wouldn't even bother to respond to you.

I don't see anything racist about his comments. In his defense, I'm 70% sure he's a (mechanical??) engineer...and being one myself I can understand why he would value a test that indicates raw intelligence when looking at prospective future coworkers. I don't really agree with that line of thinking, since there's more to a candidate than their IQ (and engineers tend to have exceptionally high spacial awareness and pattern recognition capabilities anyway...so it's kind of a moot test), I can understand it. If Ducman isn't an engineer....I don't know then lol.

 

[mope54]

I don't see anything racist about his comments. In his defense, I'm 70% sure he's a (mechanical??) engineer...and being one myself I can understand why he would value a test that indicates raw intelligence when looking at prospective future coworkers. I don't really agree with that line of thinking, since there's more to a candidate than their IQ (and engineers tend to have exceptionally high spacial awareness and pattern recognition capabilities anyway...so it's kind of a moot test), I can understand it. If Ducman isn't an engineer....I don't know then lol.

He's kept his racist opinions a bit more low-key than he usually does compared to other threads but they still manage to inform his worldview.

In this post he attributes a scientific position about the lack of genetic basis for "race" as "political leanings"

Want a cliffs notes of what your article said? All they said is that the IQ test alone doesn't fully capture someone's "intelligence", providing no real reason why, and then reveals its political leanings going on a rant about how race doesn't even exist.... yeahhhhh.

In this post he claims that, not only do Blacks score poorly across all standardized tests, but that this "fact" demonstrates their validity and that any "deficiencies" need to be addressed are culturally based. His conclusion is that Blacks are culturally unmotivated to apply themselves to their work and that they perceive deadlines as unimportant.

I'm not sure how one can read his following post any other way:

There's no test more specifically designed to be unbiased with regard to cultural background and language than the four main IQ tests in global distribution. That is their entire point, and this has been proven time and again.
[...]
The problem with IQ tests are people that don't like the implications of the test as a matter of principle, especially the fact that african-americans tend to score quite poorly as a group average, but that's true of all standardized tests from state level proficiency tests to ACT and SAT tests for college applications, demonstrating it is valid and there is a defficiency in some testing groups that needs to be addressed, not all standardized testing brought into question. The only cultural factors involved in IQ testing are those that are involved in timed testing in genera. For people that come from a culture where time and deadlines are unimportant or who are unmotivated to apply themselves in testing will do poorly, but these type of cultural traits are undesirable in virtually every business environment where time is money and self-motivation to achieve customer driven metrics is crucial.

 

[Grahamkracka]

That's not a racist statement, it only is if you misconstrue it. It IS true that blacks DO in fact score lower on standardized and IQ tests. It doesn't mean they as a testing group are less intelligent. It DOES however show evidence that black socioeconomic and/or cultural settings can (and do) have a detrimental effect on black children's attitude towards academic achievement. My wife is a teacher and sees it ALL THE TIME. Black students as a group give up faster, and almost always lack parental support/encouragement from home. Yes there are many exceptions to this rule and there are many, many highly successful black students. However that only proves my point, as those students will almost always come from stable homes with good parental support. The >.1% that don't and still succeed are obviously truly special. Anyway, that also translates to IQ test scores among the black population...many that are administered it simply can't handle the pressure. None of that however, is racist...it's real life.

Oh, and to throw a wrench into this whole argument. Last year my wife got an ILLITERATE 8 year old boy in her first grade class. He literally knew nothing, not even the alphabet or even how to sound out letters...much less do math. He came from a black family that kept him out of school for whatever reason (the parents were illiterate too...). After 3 months he was reading at a 2nd grade level and doing math at the 4th grade level. The school district arranged for an IQ test due to his ridiculous advancement....he scored OFF THE CHARTS (160+). He's a card carrying member of Mensa and will be in the gifted track now. I can guarantee you that he NEVER saw similar problem sets as seen on an IQ test. He just happened to be in a supportive foster family (who happen to be family friends) that worked especially hard on his confidence in the year preceding his coming to school (his integration to society had to be handled....carefully).

 

[kbrickley]

IQ is primarily a measure of potential ... just because someone has a high IQ doesn't mean they use it to maximum effectiveness ... IQ might be useful for inexperienced workers, like New College Graduates, where they have limited work experience to fully judge them ... for the others, what they have actually accomplished and HOW they have accomplished it are much more important ... case in point, if you are looking to fill a individual achiever role you wouldn't want to hire a team leader type (regardless of how good they are) unless they had the specific individual achiever skills you were seeking ... the opposite can also be true, I have met many fantastic individual contributors who were horrific team leaders (even though the primary job involved working in teams and not individual contribution)