Alpha Consumer

I'm Not Smarter Than a 12th Grader

By Kimberly Palmer

Posted: April 2, 2008

I probably shouldn't admit this, but I did not earn a perfect score on the financial literacy quiz we recently posted online. The quiz, which is excerpted from a test given to 12th graders every two years by the Jump$tart Coalition for Personal Financial Literacy, asks practical money questions, just like the ones this blog addresses. The average score for seniors who take the entire exam is usually just over 50 percent, suggesting many students don't have a strong grasp of money management concepts.

But perhaps it's possible that answering the questions is harder (or easier) than making real-life decisions. Reasoning on paper that investing in stocks is a good long-term choice is not quite the same as actually purchasing stocks. I may be just trying to make an excuse for my own error, but it seems like a valid point.

Readers, if you took the quiz, what do you think? (For the record, the one that got me was question No. 5, on earning interest on savings accounts.)

yes, 5

I'm a 12th grader and I scored a 5 too. The interest question was definitely hard, but made the most sense overall. (Plus maybe none of us will ever have enough money in the bank to generate that much interest :D)

Yuki of CA @ Feb 11, 2009 19:01:45 PM

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Great info. Thanks!

Sara of IA @ Dec 13, 2008 03:41:41 AM

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A great resource - many thanks!

Mike of MD @ Dec 13, 2008 01:44:32 AM

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Alpha Consumer

Alpha Consumer

Kimberly Palmer, senior editor for U.S. News & World Report, writes about how to save money, avoid scams, manage debt, and be a savvy shopper. Send your personal finance questions to her for expert money advice.


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