Good proof of skill is real work, done under real conditions, watched and recorded, judged by people who do the job, and checkable by anyone afterward.
In plain words
Look at the fields that can't afford to guess. A pilot flies a check ride with an examiner beside them. A surgeon logs hundreds of operations under supervision. An electrician works years beside licensed electricians. Whatever road you took, at the end of it somebody who knows the work watches you do the work. Multiple choice checks whether you can recognize an answer. An essay checks whether you can write about a thing. Neither checks whether you can do it.
Evidence and sources
- Airline pilots must pass a practical test with an examiner; federal rules do not require a college degree. Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 61.
- General surgery residents must log at least 850 operations as surgeon. Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
- Work sample tests are among the strongest predictors of job performance. Schmidt and Hunter (1998); Sackett and others (2022).
A tool you can use
Checklist. Is it real work? Under real conditions? Watched and recorded? Judged by people who do the job? Checkable by anyone afterward?
Questions this answers
- How do you prove a skill to an employer?
- What makes a good skills assessment?
- How should employers test job candidates?
- What is wrong with multiple choice tests?
Where this falls short
Proof can be done badly. A test can be too narrow and an examiner can have a bad day, which is why recording and appeals matter.
In the book
In Four Weeks, Not Four Years: Chapter 7.
Read the full answers
Related ideas
Cite this idea. Trenton Rich, "The five parts of good proof," in
Four Weeks, Not Four Years (2026), maxwellrich.com/idea-five-parts-of-good-proof.html. Free to quote, copy and reuse with credit under
CC BY 4.0. The book itself is under normal copyright.