Continuing discussions from Take a Test, Earn Trust! and My first impression of the Skills Test feature
What are Skill Tests and what do they do?
If you’ve explored the options on your profile, you may have found the Skill Tests. These currently have no active benefit to Sellers unless a Buyer specifically looks for them. Relevant results cannot be placed in gigs and they can only be seen in the Seller’s profile.
Who is ExpertRating?
ExpertRating is considered a course provider and certification issuer based in India.
Their homepage states:
Leaders in Online Certification
Have your skills certified through the same platform used by Walmart, Google, IKEA, Ericsson, GAP and Amazon.
The main problem for us on Fiverr
Certification places should have standards, especially online. (Google search results for “ExpertRating reviews” avg. 4.5 of 5.)
With so many different people taking the tests just for the sake of taking it (like here on Fiverr) it’s difficult to impossible to even review questions with low ‘right answer’ rates. So they rely on a ‘tell us if anything is wrong’ section at the end of the test. The problem with that is remembering exactly what was wrong with exactly which question. And forget it if there’s problems on more than one question. I’m sure there are people who can remember such details under normal circumstances, but under the timed pressure of taking a test? That is not the best environment for stimulating memory of issues with the test itself.
In trying to report issues, I’ve tried copying the section of text (didn’t work) and taking a screenshot of an error question (I couldn’t refer to the screenshot without leaving the window, which automatically failed me, even after the test was ‘ended’). I understand why you can’t copy text in the tests, but that leads to the aforementioned issue about memory and reporting.
Collection of noted issues
(Some of these issues are more prevalent than others.)
- No correct answer
- Identical answers
- Poor grammar/spelling/punctuation
- Outdated questions/answers (which places an additional negative of easier cheating)
- Disconnections leading to automatic failures
- Missing images (where the question prompts to refer to such)
Minor:
- No randomization for layout or order in retakes.
- Textbook-answer questions.
- The test offers ‘multiple-possible answers’ option. Underutilized. (test: skill vs knowledge)
Potential fix?
I firmly think people shouldn’t complain about issues without offering a possible solution. So here is one that I think should be in the realm of possibility to easily implement. (I’ll admit: I’m not a programmer, so I don’t know how difficult it would actually be to code.)
There should be a way to flag a question from within the test itself. Even if it doesn’t allow an explanation, and (really) especially since you don’t want to take time from the test itself to fill something out, if the same question gets flagged by enough test-takers, it could/should be more closely looked at by the test ‘proctors’.
Dear Fiverr,
Please connect with ExpertRating about this. For the sake of Buyers, Sellers, and your own reputation. You promote professionalism. You are a platform of such great opportunities, but contracting out your tests to a questionable third-party is not helping.