This is a test like the SAT that tests potential candidates on basic economic theory, the leaders of countries around the world, their type of government and current major global conflicts.

The scores are posted next to the candidates name on the ballot.

Of course with tutoring a candidate can increase his/her score by as much as 200, but at least they'll have to study that stuff.
-- futurebird, Jul 14 2001

"Internet of Lies" http://www.snopes.com/quotes/internet.htm
From the Urban Legends website: Al Gore never claimed to have invented the Internet. [Uncle Nutsy, Jul 14 2001, last modified Oct 17 2004]

(?) Composition of the House of Lords http://www.parliament.uk/works/locomp.cfm
"Since the House of Lords Act 1999, only 92 peers sit by virtue of hereditary peerage, 75 of whom were elected by their respective party groups." [calum, Oct 22 2002]

(?) Gregg Keizer, Omni Magazine: GDAT (1992) http://www.findarti..._n2_v15/ai_12811763
fictitious Game and Digital Aptitude Test for testing presidential candidates [jutta, Oct 06 2005]

Small Enterprise Test Small_20Enterprise_20Test
Similar [8th of 7, Dec 07 2017]

Well, J.K.Galbraith may have said it best: "Given the alternatives of changing or proving there is no reason to change, most people get busy with the proof."
-- reensure, Jul 14 2001


I get the feeling you could post a candidate's IQ, shoe size, SAT score, SPEE score, golf handicap, or their SIN number and get the same result. Politics today is more about image, and the best candidate does not always win. Just call me the pessimistic Canuck.
-- Canuck, Jul 16 2001


There should also be a "common sense" section on this test. I think that's what's been missing lately.
-- novox, Jul 16 2001


UnaBubba: Actually, no, and he never said he did. See link; also, see link to Vint Cerf's assessment of the accuracy of what Gore *did* claim.
-- Uncle Nutsy, Jul 16 2001


Ack! Someone get me off this tilt-and-hurl...

The spin on that is incredible...He said 'I took the initiative in creating the Internet.'. Quoted from their own site, and from the CNN site that had the transcription of the interview. Vint Cerf just said that Gore 'made it a point to be well informed'.
-- StarChaser, Jul 16 2001


Oh, sure, what he actually did say was still def stupid, and the Urban Legends people (accurately) describe it as self-serving. But it wasn't what people always quote, and I can't abide inaccuracy.
-- Uncle Nutsy, Jul 17 2001


This is a really good idea. I've often thought that if we (in the UK) are to have an unelected second chamber then it should be populated by leading academics, rather than people who's great great great uncle once trod on a tribesman. You could instal a requirement to have a balence of academics from the sciences, Arts and medicine to complement all the lawyers who are politicians anyway. With some strengthening of powers they could provide a much needed intellectual control on governance.
-- Zircon, Oct 22 2002


There should be just one question in this exam: "Do you want to be a politician?"
-- calum, Oct 22 2002


The way to make this work is to do it live on TV and to make it optional. Candidates who actually know about civic institutions, law, economics, and domestic & international issues would be proud, greeedy even, to display their knowledge before the people. Moron candidates (You know who I mean) would need to fumble about with lame excuses as to why they can't take the test, or need to use a substitute lackey just like they do in the real world.

To make it fun and educational for the people the questions could be read aloud and the correct answers displayed on the TV screen. Or it could be simul-webcast and people could take the test at the same time and the aggregate results of the people displayed - thereby forming a healthy competition between the people and the candidate.
-- CecilL, Oct 06 2005


I was just going to post an idea about IQ testing for politicians...but it turns out that you beat me to it and I already bunned it years ago...
-- cowtamer, Jul 28 2011


Kissinger was smart.
-- WcW, Jul 28 2011


He still is.
-- rcarty, Jul 28 2011


Unfortunately, some people are smart in ways that you don't want them to be. Example: [The Alterother]
-- Alterother, Jul 28 2011


"Every Communist must grasp the truth; "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."

"Problems of War and Strategy" (November 6, 1938), Selected Works, Vol. II, p. 224. Mao

So a test of ability to load, fire and clean a gun would seem a requirement.
-- popbottle, Jan 18 2014


^//seem// sp. "be". The "free speech" bit is a given for politicians, though perhaps content of same might be a metric.
-- FlyingToaster, Jan 18 2014


//There should also be a "common sense" section on this test.//

"common sense", as someone else once said, is simply the aggregate of all of one's prejudices and is by no rational measure a useful thing on its own.
-- Voice, Jan 19 2014


Maybe it just needs a better aggregation algorithm...
-- pertinax, Jan 19 2014


One of those great ideas that will never happen.

Here's the current test:

"Are you willing to take this suitcase full of campaign contribution cash in return for doing the bidding of your new owners when you get into office?"

If you answered "Yes" you've passed. If you answered "No" you've failed
-- doctorremulac3, Jan 19 2014


A click on the [random] button brings up this timely gem .... I saw a quote attributed to Mark Hanna circa 1894 that went like "There are two things that are important in politics. The first is money, and I can't remember the second."
-- normzone, Dec 05 2017



random, halfbakery