Get Smarter with Smarterer!

We all agree that it pays to be smart, correct? (Case in point: Mark Zuckerberg.) I love the idea, because it helps me to improve my job performance, as well as continually stimulate and surprise myself. Sometimes, however, I’m not sure where to do that, or lack the ambition to study. Breaking news: I’m not perfect.

At a certain point, we all “check out” from time to time. I think it is because we haven’t challenged ourselves to add continuing education to our daily activities. We have been working with our tools for a while, and are used to using a few functions. However, you can learn more about Excel, PowerPoint, JavaScript and other tools as a way to increase your awareness and capabilities. There are sites that do not replace certification courses or on-the-job training, but do allow you to learn at a basic level the tools that are available online.

One such site is Smarterer.com. According to the site, Smarterer was created “to provide people a simple, fun, and authentic way to show what they know. Smarterer is a platform designed to score individuals on any and every digital, social, and technical skill under the sun.” The site was created in 2010 by Dave Balter, Michael Kowalchik and Jennifer Fremont-Smith. The vision of the company is to be the source for private companies to evaluate and measure the skill set of their potential workforce. “As employers, we hire based on work history and personality metrics, but are missing the key criteria that prove people's ability to use the tools needed to be successful.” For those of us who need insight into a new skill or a refresher on ones we have used for a while, this is a great resource.

 I visited the site recently, and took tests on social media, English for business, Excel and Google Search. I, as I’m sure you’re wondering, received scores in the proficiency level. This indicates that I have some work to do, but I also learned new things about functions in these areas.

When you go to the site, you have the option to select a subject on which you would like to test yourself. You can search dozens of subjects, click on one, and begin immediately. The tests are a series of multiple choice questions, usually accompanied with a visual element, and a time limit. Your score will either rise or fall depending on correct or incorrect answers. The questions will continue until you reach a particular level (beginner, familiar, proficient, expert, and master). The best part is that you can continually update your score and rank, so that you are improving your knowledge and awareness.

The questions are written by the community of Smarterer users, in a form of “crowd sourcing.” “We collect questions from our user community, which allows us to provide rapidly-evolving tests that get smarter every day,” according to the site. Your score is calculated by an algorithm that takes into account your answers and actions, as well as the community. ”Smarterer's scoring algorithm is based on the Glicko rating system, which is used for chess, NCAA trees, and a variety of gaming platforms. Our adaptation creates a real-time competition between each question and each test-taker. Our algorithm is continuously learning from user interactions and getting smarter about how to rank each question and each user.”

The system also has a drop down menu option for you to select areas of business that you are interested in. The system will then select tests that cater to those areas. This can inform you of the areas of study where your strengths lie, as well as areas that you may need to work on.

On the Leaderboard section of the site, you can see how your score ranks amongst your particular level of expertise. The users and their profiles are listed and available for access, so that potential employers can contact you regarding your skills. The profile area functions much like Twitter does, allowing you to promote yourself to the community. This will appear when a user clicks on your profile picture or test scores.

There are also options to test you on basic math, AP writing style, and financial accounting. There are even tests on soft skills like people management, occupation vocabulary, and investment banking fundamentals. And for a little fun, you can learn about GarageBand, iMovie, and photography.

Smarterer is a good site that helps you to keep learning about the tools that you use every day. It also introduces you to new systems and their functionality. It helps you get smarterer. Don’t you want to be smarterer, so you can be a better workerer-type person? Check out this free service some time.