23 January 2007
Failures for $200, Alex
I took the Jeopardy! Online Contestant Search Test tonight... and I'm pretty sure I failed it. I think I got 31 out of 50 and I think you need at least 35. That sounds about like what I got the last time I took the test about 5 years ago when then didn't have an online version.
That year, I drove to Chicago from Wausau, WI. The test was at The Drake, so I reserved a room there for the night before so I could be well rested. I should have gone earlier and done something in Chicago. But it was bad enough that I had to rent a car for my wife since we only had one and she needed to get to work the day I was going down to Chicago. I didn't really have more money to spend on do whatever else I'd do in Chicago by myself.
The morning of the test, I was nervous. You have to come prepared for an interview (screen test) and a mock game if you pass the 50 question test. So I'm dressed up slightly in a shirt a tie and sweating in the waiting area outside the ballroom that Jeopardy had reserved.
We had the test - 50 questions of hand written answers. I could feel that I was missing too many. Mostly because I couldn't think of the answer quick enough, or I was wavering between two answers and was most likely picking the wrong one. The only question I remember now was a picture of a body of water that we were supposed to name. I couldn't remember if it was the Black Sea or the Caspian Sea, though it was obvious to me that it was the Black Sea as soon as the test was done.
The qualified scorers were read off, and the rest of us were told that we had missed the qualification by one point (that's the default story... they never give you your score). Somewhat dejected, I retrieved my car from the valet and left, driving around downtown Chicago a bit, and then heading back home with a short stop at the new Apple Store in the Woodfield Mall.
Even though I lost, it was an interesting trip and I felt I could probably get it next time. Then, two years ago, I was registered for the tryout again. This time, it was going to be in Madison, closer to where I was living now. But circumstances prevented me from going that day. Last year was the first year for the online test, but the time didn't work for me.
So this year I get myself pretty psyched, but forget to do any pre-test prepping. And the result is what I should expect. I was close, but definitely not Jeopardy! quality. Maybe next year. Good luck to everyone else trying!
That year, I drove to Chicago from Wausau, WI. The test was at The Drake, so I reserved a room there for the night before so I could be well rested. I should have gone earlier and done something in Chicago. But it was bad enough that I had to rent a car for my wife since we only had one and she needed to get to work the day I was going down to Chicago. I didn't really have more money to spend on do whatever else I'd do in Chicago by myself.
The morning of the test, I was nervous. You have to come prepared for an interview (screen test) and a mock game if you pass the 50 question test. So I'm dressed up slightly in a shirt a tie and sweating in the waiting area outside the ballroom that Jeopardy had reserved.
We had the test - 50 questions of hand written answers. I could feel that I was missing too many. Mostly because I couldn't think of the answer quick enough, or I was wavering between two answers and was most likely picking the wrong one. The only question I remember now was a picture of a body of water that we were supposed to name. I couldn't remember if it was the Black Sea or the Caspian Sea, though it was obvious to me that it was the Black Sea as soon as the test was done.
The qualified scorers were read off, and the rest of us were told that we had missed the qualification by one point (that's the default story... they never give you your score). Somewhat dejected, I retrieved my car from the valet and left, driving around downtown Chicago a bit, and then heading back home with a short stop at the new Apple Store in the Woodfield Mall.
Even though I lost, it was an interesting trip and I felt I could probably get it next time. Then, two years ago, I was registered for the tryout again. This time, it was going to be in Madison, closer to where I was living now. But circumstances prevented me from going that day. Last year was the first year for the online test, but the time didn't work for me.
So this year I get myself pretty psyched, but forget to do any pre-test prepping. And the result is what I should expect. I was close, but definitely not Jeopardy! quality. Maybe next year. Good luck to everyone else trying!
Labels: Jeopardy, roadtrip, trivia
