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Not so fast with the tech

In a tech-savvy world, a rather surprising result was announced by a company named Kaplan Test Prep.

The company did a survey of high schoolers planning to go to college and asked the following question:

Would you prefer to take the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) on a computer or with pencil and paper?

If you are like us, you probably guessed that an overwhelming number of the students said, “Computer!” Well, like us, you would be wrong – overwhelmingly wrong.

Only one in 10 students surveyed by Kaplan preferred the computer to the old-fashioned way. Four out of five (81 percent) said they would not want to take the SAT on a computer.

According to a story about the results on USAToday.com, an 18-year-old from New York named Daniel Clayton summed up his thoughts about the question thusly:

“Taking tests on the computer to me is tedious. Dealing with a machine, anything can happen. After a while it starts to wear on you. It can also affect your ability to answer questions later on the exam.”

The USAToday story said other students were worried about mistakes tied to typing proficiency and technical problems. Others wanted the ability to solve math problems on paper.

The kids’ parents apparently were as surprised by the results as we were. Sixty-five percent of the parents favored computers.

The results were probably not what computer makers would like to hear. On the other hand, it was great news for everybody who makes No. 2 lead pencils.

* Editorials reflect the opinion of the publisher.

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