Looking for a certain focus test (game?)

[Taleweaver]

I'm not sure if this is in the right section, but here goes...

I'm currently applying as a train conductor. Within a few weeks, I'll have to do a certain test of focus (among other tests). From a friend of mine, I've heard this test is as follows:

in the course of about half an hour, it'll show some numbers that add up. So first it'll show a one. Then, after some random time, it'll show a two. Then a three. And so on. This is normal. Except that it doesn't ALWAYS shows the next number. When it shows a different number (I presume the same as the previous, or one above what is expected), it's the testee's task to press a button. Then, and only then.

The goal is obviously to test whether the applicant can remain focused for longer periods of time (hence: thirty minutes of mostly boredom).


Now...as such a job would make for a pretty straightforward programming job, this test (or a very similar one) can probably be found on many places on the internet. The problem is...I have no idea where. Since it has objectives, interaction and a goal, it can be technically viewed to be a game, but how would you find it? I also have no idea of the name of said test, so google isn't much help.

Hence this thread: an open question whether someone of you know some sites that have this sort of test (the long length is the most crucial part). Or have some keywords on the sort of test I'm describing that'll help me with googling something like this.

So...a little help?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

Hmm...I know exactly what you mean, I think, but I also can't think of any good way to describe this or any keywords to search for...I tried basically looking for "Train Conductor focus testing practice" and came up with a few things, but nothing that was similar to what you described...

I wanna say it's similar to reaction timing tests as well, but I'm not sure if that'd help in the search...

 

[FAST6191]

I do not know where this falls on the doing homework for other people scale.

I would probably program my own. A counting program is basic, adding a random time interval is easy and adding another random element (1/10 chance of adding 1 to the displayed number or something) is easy still. Scoring might be annoying but I would probably call optional there, if not you already have timers and whether the value in question is one of the altered ones).

The obvious things of attention span did not get me far. So now I have been a (theory) code tease, which is probably the worst kind of tease. I would say duration is not the issue if you can repeatedly run it. I do not know if half an hour is one of those boredom lengthens the perception of time things but you may wish to look up "T.O.V.A." (Test of Variables of Attention) which usually runs for a slightly shorter period of time (some 20 minutes in adults), like many aspects of modern psychology it is copyrighted (personality tests are usually where this comes up but it is certainly not limited to it) so you may have trouble downloading a version for yourself to play with.

Good luck with it though. I can focus for long periods if something interesting is happening but focus through tedium, especially tedium I have experienced before, is not something I really ever managed.

 

[Qtis]

I did the PAPI-I and PAPI-N tests a while ago, which aren't purely focus-based (numerical, reading, etc), but the time limit is the sameish 30 minutes. Checking the Wikipedia articles on those could help you find some others with similar and/or goals to your needs.