Problem
Each member of a research group visited either the Virgin Islands or Hawaii...
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Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT)How a Computer Adaptive Test Differs from a Paper-and-Pencil Test
Computer Adaptive Tests, or CATs, are quite different from the paper-and-pencil standardized tests you probably have seen in the past. Aside from being taken on computer at a special test center, the main difference between CATs and paper-and-pencil tests is that CATs "adapt" to your performance. Each test taker is given a different mix of questions depending on how well he or she is doing on the test. This means the questions get harder or easier depending on whether you answer them correctly or not. Your score is not only determined by how many questions you get right, but by the difficulty level of these questions.
How a Computer Adaptive Test Finds Your Score.
When you start a section, the computer:
- Assumes you are of average ability (about 500 on the GMAT*).
- Gives you a medium difficulty-level question. About half the people who take the test would get this question right, and about half would get it wrong.
What happens next depends on whether you answer the question correctly or not:
- If you answer the question correctly, your score goes up and you are given a slightly harder question.
- If you answer a question incorrectly, your score goes down and you are given a slightly easier question.
This continues for the rest of the test. Every time you get the question right, the computer raises your score, then gives you a slightly harder question. Every time you get a question wrong, the computer lowers your score, then gives you a slightly easier question. In this way the computer tries to "hone in" on your score. Theoretically, as you get to the end of a section, you will reach a point where every time the computer raises the difficulty level of a question, you will get it wrong, but every time it lowers the difficulty level of a question, you will get it right.
Because of their unusual formats, adaptive tests must be approached in a manner different from regular tests.
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