Segment from Pass/Fail

To The Victors Go The Government Jobs

Until the late 19th century, party affiliation mattered more than qualifications when it came to landing a job in the federal government. The hosts talk to historian Mark Summers about the origins of the civil service exam.

Thanks, Mann

In the 1840s, while he was superintendent of Massachusetts schools, Horace Mann devised some of the first written tests in the United States that he thought would really measure learning and prove his hunch that Boston schools weren’t the best in the country.

00:12:25

Jesus Doesn’t Grade On A Curve

Early American Christians had to pass a rigorous test if they wanted to become members of the Puritan church. Peter, Ed and Brian consider what this and other types of pre-19th century tests measured.

00:05:42

There’s Nothing Standard About It

Psychologist Henry Goddard thought he could devise a test that would accurately rank students based on intelligence, but his ideas and methods were heavily influenced by the eugenics movement.

00:11:31

To The Victors Go The Government Jobs

00:08:13

What’s Your Name, What’s Your Personality Type

The mother-daughter team of Katharine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs-Myers invented the Myers Briggs Type Indicator test to help women find jobs during WW2. Now a multi-million dollar industry, is it possible these tests can’t actually measure personality at all?

00:11:10