Diagnostic Test Records


Since 1992, players new to the Carleton team have been asked to take one of two 500-question "diagnostic" tests created by our coach to get a quick read on general quizbowl-type knowledge level, and some indication of subject area strengths and relative weaknesses - immediately useful information for intelligent team-building. The two tests have been tested enough to prove that they are basically interchangeable as to difficulty - a person's score on one will almost always be very similar to their score on the other, if taken at about the same time. The tests are usually experienced as difficult, for new players, but do tend to correlate reasonably well with actual quizbowl ability at that moment. (They say *nothing* about potential for improvement!) Tests are required of new players, and then encouraged (alternating the two tests) in subsequent years: many have tested four times; a few even more.

Just for fun, here is a listing of some of the positive record scores associated with these tests:

Carleton students ever scoring 200 or more:

(senior year scores, unless indicated)
  1. Garrett Ryan '09 (364 - as sophomore)
  2. Ezra Lyon '04 (339)
  3. Shane Ewert '02 (336)
  4. Patrick Hope '07 (333 - as sophomore)
  5. Andy Felton '00 (314)
  6. Steve Jenkins ex'99 (299)
  7. Cheryl Klein '00 (294)
  8. Kyle Willett '05 (283)
  9. Gabe Lyon '02 (270)
  10. Lori Miller '93 (248)
  11. Kevin Clair '04 (245)
  12. Neal Schuster '03/'04 (235)
  13. MaryAnn Toner '95 (232 - as junior)
  14. Will Cavert '01 (231)
  15. Bryan Gast '03 (228)
  16. Chris Hakala '94 (223)
  17. Andreas Stoehr '11 (219 - as freshman)
  18. Ted Salk '01 (216)
  19. Rob Lewis '98 (211 - as freshman)
  20. Emily Pike '99 (210 - as sophomore)
  21. Tom Sullivan '11 (209 - as freshman)

Top 15 Carleton newbie scores:

(newbie means anyone taking the test for the first time as either a freshman or sophomore)
  1. Garrett Ryan '09 (249)
  2. Andreas Stoehr '11 (219)
  3. Rob Lewis '98 (211)
  4. Tom Sullivan '11 (209)
  5. Patrick Hope '07 (208)
  6. MaryAnn Toner '95 (206 - soph)
  7. Austin Bell '11 (191)
  8. Emily Pike '99 (177)
  9. Ezra Lyon '04 (170 - soph)
  10. Shane Ewert '02 (165)
  11. Cheryl Klein '00 (162)
  12. Richard Leavelle '08 (157)
  13. Ben Roberts '98 (157)
  14. Will Cavert '01 (156)
  15. Jonathan Andrews '00 (149 - soph)

Top 15 Carleton improved scores

  1. Steve Jenkins ex'99 (+192; 107 to 299)
  2. Andy Felton '00 (+184; 130 to 314)
  3. Shane Ewert '02 (+171; 165 to 336)
  4. Ezra Lyon '04 (+169; 170 to 339)
  5. Gabe Lyon '02 (+160; 110 to 270)
  6. Kyle Willett '05 (+153; 130 to 283)
  7. Courtney Colby '03 (+148; 44 to 192)
  8. Neal Schuster '03 (+136; 99 to 235)
  9. Cheryl Klein '99 (+132; 162 to 294)
  10. Patrick Hope '07 (+125; 208 to 333)
  11. Kevin Clair '04 (+120; 125 to 245)
  12. Ted Salk '01 (+115; 101 to 216)
  13. Garrett Ryan '09 (+115; 249 to 364)
  14. Bryan Gast '03 (+112; 116 to 228)
  15. Mike Olson '03 (+99; 95 to 194)

Test Records

Overall (500 possible)
By anyone: Tom Waters 446
Carl student: Garrett Ryan 364
Carl newbie: Garrett Ryan 249 (as frosh)
Literature (80 possible)
By anyone: Jim Dendy 77
Carl student: Cheryl Klein 76
Carl newbie: Andreas Stoehr 56 (as frosh)
Science (80 possible)
By anyone: Jim Dendy 76
Carl student: Garrett Ryan 65
Carl newbie: John Weiss 51 (as soph)
Carl frosh: Emily Pike 47
History (80 possible)
By anyone: Jim Dendy 78
Carl student: Garrett Ryan 72
Carl newbie: Garrett Ryan 61 (as frosh)
Miscellaneous (60 possible)
By anyone: Tom Waters 56
Carl student: Cheryl Klein 37
Carl newbie: Garrett Ryan 26 (as frosh)
Geography (40 possible)
By anyone: Jim Dendy 38
Carl student: Kevin Clair 34
Carl newbie: Patrick Hope 32 (as frosh)
Pop Culture (40 possible)
By anyone: Mark Zimmer 38
Carl student: MaryAnn Toner 31
Carl newbie: MaryAnn Toner 31 (as soph)
Carl frosh: Andreas Stoehr 28
Sports (30 possible)
By anyone: Dan Fuller 30
Carl student: Steve Jenkins 27
Carl newbie: Steve Jenkins 21 (as soph)
Carl frosh: Rob Lewis & Scott Stearns 20
Fine Arts (30 possible)
By anyone: Dan Fuller 29
Carl student: Shane Ewert 26
Carl newbie: Rob Lewis 19 (as frosh)
"Mind" (Philosophy/Soc. Sci) (30 possible)
By anyone: Mike Decker & Andy Felton 30
Carl student: Andy Felton 30
Carl newbie: Will Cavert 20 (as frosh)
Mythology (10 possible)
By anyone: too many to list 10
Carl student: Shane Ewert, Bryan Gast, Ezra Lyon, Garrett Ryan 10
Carl newbie: Bryan Gast 9 (as soph); Patrick Hope 9 (as frosh)
Carl frosh: Patrick Hope 9
Religion (10 possible)
By anyone: too many to list 10
Carl student: Shane Ewert, Ezra Lyon, Garrett Ryan 9
Carl newbie: MaryAnn Toner 7 (as soph)
Carl frosh: Richard Leavelle 6
Government (10 possible)
By anyone: Tom Waters, Jim Dendy, Dan Fuller, Mike Decker 10
Carl student: Bill Craighead, Ezra Lyon 8
Carl newbie: Ariel Stern & David Niles 6 (as sophs)
Carl frosh: Cheryl Klein, Will Cavert, Patrick Hope, Jordan Smith, Andreas Stoehr 5
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This page last updated 13 February 2008