Challenge Your Creativity: Problem Solving Exercises

Those problems measure abstract problem solving. People commonly believe that if you can solve problems abstractly then you can apply those solutions to a wide variety of problems, making your ability widely applicable. For this reason people value abstract problem solving.

I've read that experiment has found that people are not good at applying abstract solutions to real world problems. Experience helps them do so, but experience also helps people who aren't good at solving abstract problems.

In other words, abstract problem solving skills are good for little more than solving abstract problems. Nothing wrong with that, but not so useful either.

If you want to solve problems better in a given domain, build experience in that domain.