Speed test or Knowledge test, which is better?

Speed test or Knowledge test, which is better?

6 people are having a discussion on the topic (Mohit, sanjay, preeti, Sachin, Bhumi, Payal).

Group Discussion Starts

Sanjay: Hello, everyone. So today our topic of discussion is “Speed test or knowledge test” and which is better whether we should give 1st priority to the speed of a candidate or to his knowledge. In other perspective we can also say that which attribute is more valuable. So as per my view point knowledge test is better than speed test because it is knowledge which will help the person or a candidate to improve his efficiency and effectiveness gradually with time and increase speed. However if a person is very speed in his work or his brain respond immediately , it is of no use or little use unless person possesses necessary skill and knowledge required for any post or position.

Preeti: As per my view point, both are critical for an individual to become successful in today’s complex and competitive world. The quote “Slow and steady wins the race “is no longer applicable to challenges faced by people in this modern era. For Instance if person is giving any competitive exam like CAT or CA, then he/she need to possess both knowledge and speed. As all competitive exam has time constraint and to clear those exams a student need to have sharp mind and also fast in his performance so as to complete the paper within time limit. Hence it is very difficult to rank these two attributes.

Mohit: Yes, I agree with you Preeti completely. However I would disagree with the point you made concerning difficulty to rank these attributes. Because still I feel Knowledge is more important than speed. Every person has to make a decision at various point of time in their life. And what I believe there remains a time constraint in all types of decision hence how rational and logical our decision is that is more important. Hence whenever we appraise someone, we must focus on knowledge first and thereafter comes speed. Speed is something which adds extra value to the knowledge. And Speed is nothing with knowledge.

Bhumi: Yes Mohit you are correct. Speed is nothing if person doesn’t know the right path, right approach. If a person is posted for a job and if he doesn’t have basic specialization and knowledge needed for such post then his speed would be of no use. Hence Knowledge is better than speed and speed supplements the knowledge.

Sachin: Hello friends, even I would rank knowledge before than speed. Knowledge is skills acquired through experience or education. It is familiarity or awareness gained by person through experience of a fact or situation. However speed is the rate at which person react or respond to a situation or problems and come up with solution. Both the attributes has its own value but if we are asked to rank the two, knowledge will always be ranked 1st and before speed.

Payal: Friends, However in some exceptional situations for example situation of emergency, speed acquire greater or equal importance to that of knowledge. For instant if a person falls terribly sick, we should immediately take that person to nearest hospital for a temporary care and relief. It would worsen the situation if we use our brain and try to take him to a better doctor whose clinic is at a longer distance. If a person is both rational and efficient, he would take the patient to nearest hospital first. In a corporate world, sometimes managers have to act and take decision promptly and logically to protect its organisation fame or goodwill from being spoiled. Hence I just want to say that in situations where a person is needed to act promptly, we can’t differentiate between speed and knowledge as both are equally important.

Sanjay: Yes Payal you are absolutely right. I would like to add few more points to our discussion. Knowledge is an inherent thing which persists for long and can be used anytime once gained. Also the true test of one’s knowledge happen based on spontaneity. If you are able to solve the things and apply your understanding in shorter duration then it suggests that you are quite capable with your concepts.

Preeti: Yes Sanjay you are right and I agree with you completely. Speed indeed addresses the quality of the knowledge the person possess. If a person is knowledgeable then he can easily and clearly apply his concept to resolve the issue. The speed of a person to resolve any issue implies his degree of knowledge. Nevertheless knowledge is more important attribute that person would like to have within it. Just like planning and then execution here knowledge comes first and exploiting our knowledge increases the speed gradually.

Mohit: Yes, I agree with you. Hence knowledge must be rank first and speed must ranked 2nd if we are asked to our preference. However when a person is interviewed, the interviewer expects both knowledge and speed from the candidate to give him any post. Today the world has become very competitive. The person who is knowledgeable falls short in speed lag behind the persons who are both knowledgeable and prompt.

Sachin: Yes, Mohit you are right. Moreover a person gets shortlisted for an interview based on his resume. So the person is assumed to possess technical skills needed for a post. The interviewer therefore tests the candidate’s comfort level with the skills he possesses. In other words how efficient and speed the candidate is in applying his knowledge. Therefore interviewer generally tests speed of a candidate.

Bhumi: I would like to add one more point to above discussion. The speed of a person also implies person flexibility to changes in working environment. In many situations the employees have to change rapidly and adapt with a completely different approach. Speed is the strength possessed by a person. Hence if we think from interviewer perspective, he would like to test the speed of a person. But if we look from our own perspective we would like to possess knowledge first.

Sanjay: However the degree mentioned in the resume of a person is more as credential than as an indicator of specific knowledge and skills. Therefore interviewer also asks technical question. Different rounds of interview are conducted such as technical round to test the education and experience of the person; HR question round to test the intellectual ability, personality, and motivation. Therefore knowledge test and speed test both are important and must. The interviewer always searches a candidate who possesses both attributes. However conducting knowledge test is more important and it is difficult to test the speed of person in single interview. Many people are introvert or has shyness problem so they may fail to articulate their answers properly. People also often become nervous at the time of facing interview. Therefore I want to conclude that knowledge test is better than speed test.

Preeti: Yes, We agree with you all.