be less cruel!
 

I like the quizzes, but it turns out I can't take the bash one again (which I did a while back) because you're only allowed do them once under the single ID.

I think this is totally unjust. What's the thinking behind it? Sure, I scored a low mark, _then_, but it's perfectly normal to want to try and do it again.

Maybe the idea is that people will take them over and over again and distort the number taken/average score measurement. OK, that's a potential drawback, (depends how useful those numbers are to you guys). Anyhow the bash quiz (surely a total essential linux skill) has only been taken 381 times. Out of 90k LQ members, it doesn't seem too much, but may be it's been reset or something.

So, could you have a look at it?

Its never been reset, that number is accurate. Some either just don't take quizzes and or they don't know its there.

Reasons you can only take it once with your userid:

1. It scores the first time and stores that in the db.
2. Keeps members from taking it over and over again to boost their score.
3. It gives you the correct answers at the end, anyone can write them down to take over again.


Personally I would like to see a timer on each question, as I do feel some actually go out and try to find the answer, since its not limited to time.

The quizzes are pure fun and entertainment really. Feel free to register a new name to retake them but I feel that would only be lying to even yourself in taking the same quiz over and over again, given the same questions. What fun is that?

Regards.

Ok, you got me. Where are the quizzes. Never heard about them until now.

Click on the "QUIZ" button up at the top right of your LQO page :)

Peace,
Whitehat

Dang, don't know how I missed that. Off to the eye doctor I guess. Thanks Whitehat

I got 7 out of 10 on both LQO quizzes. I did not have a clue on most of Jeremy's quiz. Better go out and buy a lottery ticket. :rolleyes:

I messed up one of the Slackware quizes real nice. I got like 40%. I sux!

Trickykid, I have the greatest respect for the work you do here, but I have to take you to task on these points.

OK. That means that some 0.5% of all members have taken the (fundamental) bash quiz. Sorry but I reckon that's dang low.

Indeed, very apparent.

I think that's actually the main reason. There's nothing wrong with Twilli227's eyes. The quiz button melts into the background.

Naturally, and it's not rewritable either.

Well I mentioned that already. It may be possible to put a cap. I.e. that you can only do it max3 times or something.

Sure, but that requires some effort, and it's easy to mix up the answers. By the time you've finished taking a note of them, and doubled checking to make sure they're correct, you learnt the answer off by heart! (there are only ten anyway).

Cool idea. Might be harder to implement though.

Well then, why the draconian once-only rule? I think some people would use their second score as a measure of how much they've learnt here in LQ (especially if they take it again after a set period, say, two weeks).

This advice single handedly proves my point. If I or other people were to do this, it would artifically inflate the number of members of LQ. So, for the sake of keeping the quiz stats in order, a Key Performance Indicator of LQ, number of members, gets distorted by having members with two or three IDs just because they want to take the quiz a few more times. I expect that's totally undesirable. Surely it's better to have distorted quiz stats than a distorted Number of Members figure.

Hang on , I said that other people might try and do that. For myself, I reckon I'd take them three times at most. I'd use the scores to see how much I'm learning over time. But that's not where thelack of fun is. No, the absence of fun resides in being stuck with a below average score and having to live with it, forever, like.

In conclusion, I think the potential of the quizzes is being neglected and they need an overhaul and a higher profile. And I'm not saying, "let some else do it". I'd be perfectly willing to help, but obviously there would need to be agreement that they are under represented inthe great forum that is LQ.

Regards / c_s.

Well, one thing it could do - like email - is allow you to chose to not have your results displayed, even though they are calculated into the totals and averages and all. I took a couple of quizzes before I realized my terrible scores were public knowledge and then I quit. I just now took the Slack quiz though because it felt wrong not to. *g*

Another thing that would be really nice is if you could save your results. I tried to save it thinking it was an ordinary page before I realized I'd saved crap. Now I forget what all the questions were and which were right, wrong, and guessed.

I fail to see any reason in the world to do a test again... :confused: after you've done it once you get given the answers!! More than the little things though.... it's just a fun quiz... you will never recieve any cash prize or other benefit from doing well in the test, so how can this be worth worrying about?

You're kidding ..., other people can see your/my scores? Gasp! Hang on, I need verification on that...

I just tried your profile digiot, I don't see anything about quiz scores. Are you sure that's right?

I'll answer that. If you take the test again in quick succsion, sure, it's pretty self-deceptive, especially if you've written down the answers. But what if you want to do it, say 2 weeks afterwards, and you haven't written down the answers? The reason there is you can see how much you've learnt if you happen to improve scores. That realy valuable if you're a newbie like my good/bad self. If you are already well up in linux matters, and you score ten, well ... yes, the exercise would be pointless. But I think it would be in the spirit of LQ to lean towards the newbie rather than the advanced user.

I'm getting the impression that I may be asking too much here. Bear in mind that I could have got a new ID for myself ages ago, and done the test again. That's not the issue. I'm writing in this forum, because it accepts suggestions for the _general_ LQ forum further improvement

If someone turns around and says. "listen, allowing you to do a test a second time, is kind of laborious to setup" or" well, changing that setting might destablize some other parts of the system" well, so be it: let it be consigned to garbage can.

Okay, here's the answer. The quizzes will most likely never give the same member a second, third or any other chance. You get one shot, that's it.

We don't need the members who do like to take the quizzes to all have perfect scores eventually, that would be plain right well, stupid to me. You take quiz in school, well, you got that one chance. The teacher doesn't allow you to take it until you get it right, that's the point of a quiz. Quiz does not = Test and especially not one for certification purposes where I can see the need to retake cause your paying money, etc and the questions change around, your timed, etc.

You can actually see others scores, only if you've taken that quiz to completion though. Like I haven't taken the Bash-Scipting quiz, so I can't see the scores.

And yes, I do believe most just don't either take them cause they don't care or they don't see them. Its not really hard to see, some fail to see our Reviews, HCL and many other links clearly up at the top. They seem to only come here and think were forums only, not even looking up our rules and suprised when they break one, in which they failed to read after checking [I agree] when registering... :confused:

Hopefully that gives you an answer though on the quizzes. Its most likely not that is hard to implement to have members the ability to retake each quiz, its just that its pointless. You got one shot, you better know your stuff cause that's why its there, for entertainment but also to see how well you do.

Regards.

I agree that the quiz section needs to be updated a bit. It is on the TODO, but a few more pressing things will have to take priority. In the mean time I would prefer that people not register another username just to take a quiz again. When it comes time to do the code update I'll post in the forum to get ideas and suggestions. Thanks.

--jeremy

Too late jeremy, I've already done that...

I have two user id's in the forum, one which I created especially for taking the quiz again ....bang-- there goes my secret.

It was a nick name that I used just for the quiz, and I've even forgot that nick name now.

And I agree that the quiz system must have a -BIG- overhaul.

I thought you were complaining (in part) about the scores being public. Anyway, they're accessible somewhere on the quiz page off to the right, if you've taken that quiz. Not from a member's profile, though, or if you haven't taken the quiz.