Are you suggesting something analogous to "answer key being displayed after some time in sudoku tests"? How does this change the situation? The heavy guessers will punch their answers in 5-6 seconds.

I did not understand this totally, perhaps. But it seems you are suggesting that we use a drop down (as in ST1) PLUS an answer key. Is that correct? And that the answer key should not be known beforehand. The idea is good and will certainly bring down guesswork but whether it goes with the spirit of a Screen Test or not needs to be determined...

Maybe not 4, but definitely within 10 seconds.

Can you explain your point with some example here? I am unable to understand it fully.

I am not able to understand it at all

Do you really want to prevent that?

Guessing is inevitable if you have multiple options as answers. But then, if you do not have options, the test will look more like a normal test. And, heavy guessers got more wrong than right. So its not as if someone is going to finish in top 20 by heavy guessing.

Still, if you want to reduce the probability of success of guesses, simply increase the number of options.

Hi guys I am extremely sorry for not making my points clear enough .

As rakesh said to increase the number of options to prevent from guessing in not always possible, like in the case of missing digit kakuro, rare skyscraper, irregular split etc. the number of options are fixed or rather can be decreased but not increased.

The idea is
1) There will be a mathematical expression in which there will be one variable, i.e is the answer obtained after solving the puzzle. Say 6(A) + A^2 is the expression where A is the answer.
Player after solving the puzzle needs to calculate the result of the expression and then choose it from dropdown box, so now we can increase the number of options.

2)Regarding the reverse calculation I guess I made a mistake it should have been like this, all the possible options that will result from the mathematical expression and some other numbers (to increase the options) should be there in the dropdown.

3)The dropdown and the mathematical expression will be active only after 4-5 sec (which I think should be fine) so that no one gets to know the answers or the expression before hand.

Even after all this if a player is able to guess the answer then it can't be helped, but I think this will decrease the number of playes from guessing.

Thanks for explaining, and I now understand what you are saying.
But it would simply increase the solving time unnecessarily, and adds an error-prone element to the puzzle.

To answer Rakesh's question "Do you really want to prevent that? " - I don't think we really need to do anything to prevent it. Definitely not by adding more complexities for genuine solvers.

Hi,

I feel, we should not do anything to prevent Guess work, True Champions will always emerge in a long run.
Guess work will not produce results always, Just to prevent Guess work, we should not complicate Puzzle Interface.
Easier/simple Interface will attract more puzzlers, I think which is also one of the main aim of LMI.

This is my personal feeling.

Thanks again for your precious time in organizing wonderful event.

Best Reagrds,
Keshav

Edited by keshava.hs 2010-12-07 9:45 PM