Standardized Testing as a Special Interest

[HedgingHogs]

Hi all, I'm new here. I wanted to talk about a very "strange" autistic special interest of mine. I do standardized tests (and other tests) in my free time for fun. I especially love the ACT/SAT (American college entrance exams). Something about the structure of it is very enjoyable to me. Printing them out and filling out a bubble sheet is especially satisfying, but even the test content itself is fun; it feels like I'm playing a game. Keep in mind I'm 24 and a recent Master's graduate, and I have a full-time office job now, so it's not like I'm studying for anything.

I also search for high school and college math tests in my favorite areas (especially discrete math and calculus) and take those, timing myself and keeping the enforced testing conditions.

Sometimes I feel proud to be "different" and "unique," but most of the time I feel alone and "weird". Even some of my autistic friends think it's bizarre and have laughed at me. I've been doing poorly lately for other reasons, and doing these tests has made me happier until I realize how weird and possibly "cringy" it makes me as a person.

I guess I have two questions. 1) Does anybody else have this special interest? I want to know if I'm truly alone in this. 2) Do you have any special interests that make you feel "weird" or alone? And how do you cope?

 

[Outdated]

When I was a kid exams were the only part of school I liked, especially maths tests. As an adult I do like filling out surveys but I've never had an obsession with it. I relate to the enjoyment you get from it though.

 

[Tom]

I think any sizable group of people on the spectrum will basically be Special Interest Central. Though exact matches aren't so frequent. What we latch onto tends to be very specific. So though we might not share the interest, because we often have our own, we do get it. And no they are not weird for us. I should mention it's not universal, just as nothing is truly universal with autism. Not all have special interests.

 

[FayetheAspie]

I've taken scientific facts quizzes before when not part of any particular schooling. If I make less than 100% on a category I tend to retake it and use it as a way of increasing my knowledge. I suppose this would be similar to what you are describing.

 

[grommet]

Hi all, I'm new here. I wanted to talk about a very "strange" autistic special interest of mine. I do standardized tests (and other tests) in my free time for fun. I especially love the ACT/SAT (American college entrance exams). Something about the structure of it is very enjoyable to me. Printing them out and filling out a bubble sheet is especially satisfying, but even the test content itself is fun; it feels like I'm playing a game. Keep in mind I'm 24 and a recent Master's graduate, and I have a full-time office job now, so it's not like I'm studying for anything.

I also search for high school and college math tests in my favorite areas (especially discrete math and calculus) and take those, timing myself and keeping the enforced testing conditions.

Sometimes I feel proud to be "different" and "unique," but most of the time I feel alone and "weird". Even some of my autistic friends think it's bizarre and have laughed at me. I've been doing poorly lately for other reasons, and doing these tests has made me happier until I realize how weird and possibly "cringy" it makes me as a person.

I guess I have two questions. 1) Does anybody else have this special interest? I want to know if I'm truly alone in this. 2) Do you have any special interests that make you feel "weird" or alone? And how do you cope?

I think this is wonderful and sounds like so much fun. I never thought of doing it, now I want to. It would also help me learn a lot.

My special interests make me feel very lonely. I cannot meet anyone with my interests and the passion I feel for them makes me feel bad, like I am too different. I cannot help what I like.

I spent two weeks studying, practicing and making a perfect smooth-cut key. It is my favorite thing I carry. It is almost perfect. To explain a little, if you look at a house key you see sharp peaks, sometimes people even use the keys to cut open packages. Those radical angles make the key move more roughly into and out of the keyway in the lock. I removed all the material not needed to interact with the key pins and softened the gradients until the top of the key looks like a wave or a cloud. It still works perfectly though it looks like it would not do anything and it falls into the keyway and comes out with almost no effort.

It is not just a silly thing. Sometimes keys are broken because people begin to turn them before they are fully in or begin to walk away pulling the key with them at an angle but it is still partly stuck in the lock. I worry about being locked out. I do not communicate well so it would mean interacting with people. I wanted to lessen the chance. My key comes in and out so slickly it is safe. Also, standard keys are made of brass, some are aluminum. I use a nickel-silver key blank. It is much stronger. So I have a more reliable key and it took my work to make it so I like it a lot. I think it is special.

By the way, you can ask for your keys to be made from nickel-silver (they do not contain silver, it is just its name) if you have a locksmith make keys for you. They will charge much more because the blanks cost five times as much but it should still only be a few dollars. I do not think you could get a locksmith to smooth cut a key for you. Many do not know what it is, if they do they need a special machine to do it like the Silca Futura Pro .

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

Taking a test on an INTP forum is how I found out I am on the spectrum, had no clue before hand.