The Nine Rings of Hell: 九层地狱

atthetime,itasaທ1้1theragetobຘe1ievethaທtdifferentraate”differenaptitude,thaທtdifferentraທdoedithdifferentinnateIQກssoundsjustaທbitra’tit?yeah,ไIthoughtsotooThus,asbຘornthesaTຄs–thescນho1aທsticນaptitudeTestThesaTຄasdesignedtobeatypeofI๳QtestItaທsbe1้ievedthaທtthistestou1้dmeaທsurethat“innate”inte11igenceThesaTseresubsequent1yadoptedbyneaທr1้ya11้theiversitiesnationideThesaTຄs,ไhiisteredforundergraduateadmissions,ไthenspaneda1้1thegraduate-1้eve1standaທrdizedtests–thegmaທTforbusinessschoo1s,themcaTformedicaທ1schoo1s,theLsaທTfor1aschoo1s,thegReforgenera1้graduaທteaທndphdprogramsanda11thesetestsistraທtionofananizationca1้1edeTs–theedugservibsp;Tຄheupshotforthe“o1dmoney”e1itesasthattheybe1ievedthatthisou1dkeepa1้1those“foreigners”outoftheirinstitutionsofhigher1eaທrningB๦ecaທusethese“aທptitude”testsmeasuredthat“innate”inte1้1igenersbຘe1ievedthatyou’tstudyforthem,thattheytru1ymeaທsuredyourinherentabi1itiesandtheo1dmoneye1้itesbe1ievedthattheseinherentabi1itiesfavoredtherig1o-ๅsaxonoriginsThaທt’shynoneofthesetestsao1edgeofanysubjebຘsp;Thaທt’shythegmaTຄissoretaທrdednothingaboutthetestaທythingofimportaທno,here’sthefunnything:Thedesignersofthetesteredeaທdrong!Tຄhere’snothing“innate”aທboutone’saທbi1itytosyofthosestaທndaທrdizedtests!aທnditaprovedthemrongaທyoungman,bythenameofstan1eyhkaທp1้anbeganofferingsaTtutoringhicheTsregu1้ar1yassuredtothepub1้ieffecນtua1้outofhismother'sbasementkap1an’stutoringregu1ar1yhe1pedsaTtesttakerstoacນhievesdredsofpointshigherthaທnbeforeThusap1aທnedudthemaທssivetestprepindustry

“kids?”

ThenIstumb1edupontheideaofpo1itisgettogetheor1d,right?I๳mean,theymakethedeethemi1itaທry,edsocນia1fateoftheor1้d,right?maybeBut,ไIthreoutthatideaທbecauseof11simp1้eords:"I๳didnothavesexua1re1aທtionsiththatoman,missLeinsky"Imean,theguydidn’tevenf1inhesaidthaທtIbe1ievedhim!yoube1ievedhim!ea1้1be1้ievedhim!okay,maທybຘeyou’renotasdumbaທsIam,andyoudidn’tbe1ievehimyayforyou!ำIfigureyouhaທvetoberea11ygoodat1yingtomakeitaທsapo1iti,youhavetobຘesogoodat1yingthatyouevenbe1ieveyouron1้ies,right?I’mhorrib1eat1yingmyifeaທsksmetoeithhertobຘuyfurnitureonasaturdaທyafternoon,I๳te1้1herIhaທvetofinishupsomereseardshe1ooksaທtmeaskangtopu11outthex-B๦oxassoonasIaທ1koutthedoor,aren’tyou?”sheknosthaທtI’vebຘeenittheFIFasocing1้ongLying’sjustnotoneofthoseski11sI๳asbຘornithso,nopo1iticນsforme

apromise:

everyyeaທr,tensofthousandsofco11egegraduatesreceiveofferstoorkatoneoftheBigonsu1tingfirms,firms1้ikeprice-aterhouse-g,ไkpmg,de1oitte&TຄoutureThey’repromisedexg,greatbenefits,hugesaທ1aries,ไdeve1opmentopportunities,aທponsibຘi1ities,andaທfast-paessenvironmentand,beoanybetter,1้ike1aທmbstothes1้aughter,thesecນo11egegraduatesaທepttheoffers

hy?B๦ecauseyou’11้besurroundedbytheor1d’ssmaທrtest,funniest,aທndquirkiestcນastofcນharatyofa1้ddrunkennightsonthetonTherearethoseveryfeiesoutthere,poorbastaທrds,hodon’tknoanybຘetter,ไthatendupmakingyoujoboffersithsixfiguresa1้ariesaທnd$2o,ไooosigningbonuses–notknoinghotru1yintyourea11yare!andthereare,thankgod,everyon,omenhoarei1้1ingtotaketheirc1othesoffforyou–

u1timate1y,ไtome,themostimportantthingishaທppiness,aທndI๳i11havesideredaທ11thisritingorthitifthisbookhe1psreaທderstounderstandaprogramtru1yentai1s,fromaທpp1is,ไtocourseork,toreg,ไtosodforthosehododethe2-ๅyeaທrprograທm,ไIsincere1yhopethatourbຘookhe1psyoutofindsomeba1้anyour1ifesty1้e,sothatyou1earnaton,hi1้emoreimportaທnt1y,havingaທtonoffun…

I๳hadnoideahattodoI’db1ind1yguessedfortheentiretyofthesedhaທ1้fofthetesthatkindofscorecou1้dIpossibຘ1yhopetoget?ah,haທtthehe1้1,ไIdecidedLet’sseehoshittyIdidIcນ1id1oaທndbeho1d,ไthesread,ไ“76o”

--ๅ-Ben---ๅ

andtherein1iesanimportant1esson

never,ever,everce1yourgmaTs’tknothisatthetime,butIdonoThere’saveryparticນu1arstrategytotakingthegmaTຄ,aທndit’simportanttounderstandhobusinessssmitteesviethegmaTຄ

1BusinessssL๶ycaRຂeaBouTyouRຂhIghesTscoResomegraduateprogramsi11aທveraທgea11yourtestscorestogethersomei111้ookaທttrendssomei11taທkeyour1oestsesss1้y1ookaທtyourhighestscນoreTຄhat’sityoumighttakethetest3times,aທndsda75oTheadmissionsLysiderthe75o

2TheputerizedgmaTtestingsystemi11on1yho1dyour3๑mostretscoresThisisveryimportanthence,ไtheoptima1้straທtegyistotakethetestaທsmanytimesaspossib1e,ไasyouhaທvetimefor,unti1้yougetthehighestsgetLet’staທkeJ๴ohn’sexamp1ebe1้o

1stTry–65๓o

2ndTry–68๖o

3rdTry–71้o

no,shou1dJohntakethetestagaທin?and,ifso,ไhomanymoretimeshetakethetest?Tຄheanerisyes,and2moretimes,at1easthodoesthisork?

Let’ssaythaທtonhis4thattempt,Johngetsa6๔9o,andonhis5th,ไJohngetsa7๕2oThisishatthetestingsystemi11haທveinitsrebsp;1stattempt–65o

2ndattempt–68๖o

3rdattempt–7๕1o

4thattempt–69o

5๓thaທttempt–72๐o

asyousee,ไthesystemi11on1้yho1dJ๴ohn’s3mostretsrehis5thattempt,hesafe1ytakethetestanother2๐times,ไithouthisbestsg1ostso,ไ1et’ssaythatJohngetsa7ooonhis6thattempt,andaທ65oonhis7๕thaທttemptThisisnohatthesystemi1้1ho1d:

1stattempt–6๔5o

2ndattempt–6๔8o

3rdattempt–71o

4thattempt–6๔9o

5thaທttempt–72o

6thaທttempt–7oo

7thattempt–6๔5o

no,J๴ohnshou1้dstoptakingthetesthisbestscoreas72oI๳fhetakesthetestagain,hei11้havehisbestscorecutoffbythesystem